I Believe
by mingathur
Summary: "Till death do us part..." -Athrun Zala
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

Chapter 0ne: Our Destiny

_This story happened seven years after Seed Destiny. Kira is still in the Orb military and has become Cagalli's guardian along with Kisaki. Athrun is now PLANTs Chairman and Mr Amarfi his deputy, Dearka his homeguard. (sort of) Lacus started a little lounging business in Orb which became a hotel and later a multi-million company that has its share of Coordinators and Natural costumers. But acts as Cagalli's political advisor…The rest, read._

Spencer Gladys propelled himself forward effortlessly through the zero-G space, sweeping aside the grey debris that hit his helmet visor. It was an irritant and nothing else, and he wasn't about to allow it to disrupt his singular intent. He was now a fully trained Zaft soldier, a graduated red from the special forces, and he had an important responsibility, one delegated to him by none other that Chairman Zala and Representitive Yula Athha. He took pride in that fact, for he was lucky that he was entrusted with such a task at such a young age. As a fifteen year old soldier, the highest honour had been showered upon him to be the representative of PLANTs in the space development project, better known as the DSSD, the Deep space research and development project. It is the only thing that the PLANTs, Orb and EAF all agree on, to further explore space and to fully exploit its resources.

He works with people from a myriad of origins, the captain of his assigned vessel was an officer from Orb union, his partner (A middle age man beside him, checking the map.), was the legendary Mwu La Fllaga, also from Orb.

He glanced at the man beside him at this point, "Uncle La Fllaga, where are we…?"

Mwu scratched his helmeted head, and Spencer smiled most uncharacteristically. It was always interesting to watch Mwu in action, he always seemed so relaxed and poise, but Spencer knew he was always alert, and could be counted on in times of need. He was experienced in the field and the leader of the team. Spencer never told him, but he could never quite perceive Mwu as his adoptive father, the ones who took him in after his mother, Talia Gladys perished on the warfront.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Spencer raised his torch light to better see what is ahead of him. They were floating down a metal corridor, as deserted as every other part of this facility, a remnant of something big, buried deep beneath layers of rock of an asteroid. The man-made atmosphere had long gone, leaving behind vacuum and a dreadful silence that pricked at his ears. There were glass cylinders about his size lining the corridor, and it suggested that the place was a research facility of some sort, some origin; a disassociated piece of the past- that was waiting to be found.

They reached an opened door, and on the door frame Spencer caught sight of some letters that could be the clue to what they were looking for. Mwu saw it too, and he pointed his torchlight at the direction. Embossed on the metal door frame, was a word that made no sense to Spencer's mind.

_**S.i.S.e.N.e.g. **_

He frowned as he allowed the enuciation to roll instinctively off his tongue, "Sy…Sy-sir-nag.", and he turned to Mwu "What's it mean?" Mwu shrugged impatiently, "How should I know? Let's go find out…"

Spencer nodded as he and Mwu ventured through those doors that lead into darkness…

---

It was a day like any other day, with a medical checkup according to schedule; only that day he was so happy that nothing was about to spoil his mood. Even the evil doctor Saspuri, armed with his cynical nature and sadistic sense of humour, and would send most people packing within minutes. _Not Athrun Zala though…_

"You're fit…As fit as a fiddle…but…" The doctor proclaimed almost sourly as the Chairman sat opposite him, sipping a cup of Earl Grey. Athrun smiled and asked, "Anything else, doctor?" and he waited for the usual prescription of dietary and health supplements that Athrun never takes …_and had left rotting at one corner of the house for the past seven years since he stepped up as Chairman…. _

"I would recommend you do something to lower your anxiety level though…Chairmen all have the same problem…" He spat and he studied Athrun for a time through narrowed eyes, which was surprising as Dr Sas normally never does that. "You could use more of something traditionally known as sex…" and he was abruptly cut off at this point, for Athrun couldn't help but spat a faceful of tea at him.

Athrun face was reddened and he was trying very hard not to laugh as he whipped tissue from the desk and attempted to wipe the fifty-year-old doctor's sullen face. Dr Sas merely snatched the tissue from him with a threatening sneer that instantly reminded Athrun of a bull dog, and Athrun chuckled as the doctor took off his glasses and cleaned his face. "Mr Zala, I'd expect you to be more hygienic in my office…"

"Sorry…" Athrun apologized.

"The politically correct response will be 'I do beg your pardon…'" He replied coldly, glaring at Athrun as if he would pounce anytime. "Chairmen don't say sorry."

"I beg your pardon then…" Athrun replied with a sigh, he never told the older man, but Mr Sas really reminded Athrun of Patrick Zala, his father… Always attempting to correct him in this matter and that, from the smallest of issues to the most important of things, the ever cold glare and bad sense of humour were all traits of Patrick Zala. The similarity is uncanny and unnerving at first. Especially on the very first day when he went for the routine health examination. Mr Sas peered at him through those rimless glasses and told him to strip. (It was a joke, a rather bad one though. He later dismissed it with an uncommitted, 'Kidding.' But Athrun wasn't about to forget the panic he felt anytime soon…)

Today, Athrun felt like getting back at the doctor who insists on making his life difficult. He stood up, rearing to his full 1.82cm height and asked carefully, "About the 'prescription' you suggested…" and he paused deliberately, allowing the doctor to scrutinize his intend, "…you want to help me with that…?"

The doctor's eyes widened and looked so shocked as if he was going to have a heart attack. Athrun smiled sweetly as he walked towards the door, "Kidding." And left with the victory in his pocket…

---

Deraka Elthman was just doing his job in the first floor office, through the piles of papers on the desk by the window; he turned just in time to catch sight of the shadow of a figure leaping down from above and swiftly zipped into the bushes. He raised an eyebrow, and chuckled as he went back to his position, giving him the usual three minute head-start. When he counted to hundred and eighty, he pressed the intercom button on the desk almost lazily and spoke with just a slight tinge of humour, "To the gulls, the eagle's on the loose."

"Roger." Replied a female voice, and Dearka could tell which of Yzak's bodyguards picked up the message. There was only one female under his command…

---

"Annoucing the arrival of Orb Union representative Cagalli Yula Athha, and the little envoys of peace between PLANTs and Orb, Maximillon and Marlene!", Kira and Shinn watched the live telecast from the security booth with a bemused smile as the commentator overdid it a little. On screen, Cagalli, who was wearing a formal midnight blue gown, got out of the car with two children in tow, onto the red carpet and stepped up the stairs of the grand ballroom as Chairman Zala shook her hand with a professional, photogenic smile.

"The collaborative effort between PLANTs and Orb to raise awareness about the presence of a small but significant group known as the 'Halflings' amounted to this day. Through the adoption of two children, a pair of twins of both Coordinator and Natural genotypes from the orphanage of Orb, PLANTs had presently stretched a hand out to those in the society who needs our attention. And it only serves to prove that a peaceful relationship between Coordinators and Naturals are more than possible…" The commentator lowered her voice dramatically and winked at the camera, "…even a more intimate one is possible, and now let us look at the fruits of such an intimate relationship.

(The camera view focused on Max and Marlene…both blonde little ones) Lovely, aren't they? Little prince Maximillion and Princess Marlene, who are both six this year and are looking more adorable by the minute!"

Kira thought it was weird to see kids in a suit and gown, and he sighed. He knew they were not just children orphaned by war, they are being used by the consequences. Lacus didn't agree at first. But she relented, knowing it was the only way to protect them. It was a well known fact that halflings are not without enemies, just like Coordinators. And recently there just seemed to be more groups persecuting halflings and the act of reformation in PLANTs to introduce Natural and half-blood kids into the community.

"The press conference will now commence." Athrun and Cagalli proceeded together to the table, Athrun's Chairman uniform trailing slightly behind his lanky form every time he moved. He had gotten taller over the last few years and so has Kira, but he was still a few centimeters short of Athrun.

On screen, the commentator tried to occupy the audiences by shifting her attention onto Athrun and Cagalli instead. "A little introduction about our Chairman in action…perfect for those who had been living under a rock for the past seven years. Chairman Athrun Zala, son of Ex-Chairman Patrick Zala, red uniform in Zaft who rose through the ranks to join the Special Forces within six months. Next made legend by being enlisted into the mystical Faith squadron…Now the youngest Chairman in PLANTs history, and the voted most eligible bachelor in the PLANTs fifteen million strong population by the women's magazine…"

The crowd cheered and Athrun cringed visibly at this point, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Shinn growled irritably and Kira chuckled.

"Orb Union Representitive Cagalli Yula Athha, now leader of over twenty countries…

---

Yzak ran and stopped, for he had reached another section of the place. And he knew that if he wanted to get past unnoticed. All he had to do was be himself…

'Unnoticed' is hardly the word to describe the twenty five year old Supreme Councilor…The corridor was lined with people, and all activity seemed to come to a stand still as Yzak Jule waltzed by.

He had that general effect on people; his straight silver hair trailed elegantly behind him, like a gentle water fall. Somehow he always managed to keep the whole length neat yet loosely worn, some strands rested on his shoulder and the rest hung gracefully down his slender back. He had grown in stature through the years and now more than a head over Shiho, and his features were well-defined and masculine, yet delicate at the same time. Like a statue carved out of marble, expressionless and beautiful. His brilliant blue eyes scanned the crowd as he walked past, like a general examining his troops, only without interest. He was watching, he was always watching, always alert and on the lookout for signs of danger…

Some called him the phantom necromancer behind the scenes, Shiho disagreed. She said that he should have become Chairman and get the right to act openly.

He was well aware of those gaping stares and muffled whispers, but he was used to them as long as no one gets in his way and he continued looking straight ahead, walking as if he owned the world. The final door drew open for him the moment he was close enough and the guards greeted him with a low bow. He merely nodded, they saluted again and went their way, after a few minutes, when he was sure they were gone, he bolted again……

---

They were in the grand ballroom, Athrun waited for his chance to take Cagalli's hand in dance and once the representative of Scandanivia took his leave, Athrun swiftly stepped up in the place, right in front of Cagalli.

The next tune, which was slow and soothing, started. Athrun looked at Cagalli and she looked back, both of them expressionless, and showed nothing of the emotions left churning inside. For a full minute, the just kept to gazing at each other silently, as if contented with just standing there and looking, which was the case for Athrun.

He examined her from top to toe, she was dressed in …surprisingly, a dress. Showing her collar bone and arms.

She had become if anything, more beautiful over the last seven years. Her golden hair now reached her waist and she had it braided and wound over her head like a crown. She carried herself well, as well as a head of a nation should.

"Please to meet your acquaintance, Representative Yula Athha." He greeted as he bowed formally.

"The pleasure is all mine, Chairman Zala…"

"You lost weight…." He uttered hesitantly, looking at her shoulders.

"…That's good to hear." Cagalli replied with a quick smile and she demanded, "And now are we gonna dance or what?" Athrun gasped softly, but recovered quickly enough to step forward and took her waist and hand. She in turn gripped his gloved hand firmly and rested her other hand on his broad shoulders. They started waltzing around on the dance floor, trying to look as normal as possible. And at the quietest part of the tune, Cagalli leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Hug me…" Athrun complied swiftly, throwing his arms about her and held on tightly but discreetly…

It felt good to be found in his embrace again; Cagalli never told him, but she liked his hands. His hands are large, warm and comforting, and seemed ever ready to come to her when she needs him. She liked the way those strong arms draped about her bare shoulders, and was grateful for the security it provided. She closed her eyes as a small contented smile stretched across her lips, feeling him close beside her and enjoying every second of it…

Athrun Zala sighed softly and apologized, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She asked without opening her eyes…

"That I haven't been able to see you in three months... And that I can only hug you for one song…"

"Then you're gonna make up for it three months after the elect…" she caught herself, knowing it's pretty sensitive to mention that E-word in front of Athrun. As the Orb Representative, she will never have to go through that… Especially when now that Orb has become strong, stronger than it was seven years ago. For after the conflict with Chairman Dulliandal and his idiotic plans, more countries had joined Orb course to neutralize the situation between Coordinators and Naturals. And the country is now collectively called the Orb Union.

"It's okay," He said, sensing her reservation, "…Do you think I'll be re-elected?"

"The people likes you and you know it."

"Not those who still think Naturals are scam." He said jokily.

"Minority, insignificant." She dismissed his comment off-handedly. "Do you think I'm scam?"

"…Why would I hold a scam in my arms?"

"Precisely…those people have no common sense, no experience and no taste at all." Athrun laughed at her witty answer and she smiled weakly. "Where're the little ones?" he asked her, "I miss the way Max calls me 'big brother Athrun' and jumps around destroying the office."

"His name is Maximillion, not Max…" She insisted, "They'll be joining you tonight…properties of PLANTs and Orb…"She sighed at this point, and stopped dancing.

"What's wrong?"

"Marlene." she answered as she pulled away. "She's still not speaking, Lacus reckons its autism…"

Athrun remained silent, not knowing how to reply as he held Cagalli's hand and led her away.

"Athrun?"

"Shhh…" he replied softly as the two melted through the crowd and passed through the backdoor…

---

Shinn Asuka watched the representative and his former commander leaving quietly through the backdoor and he sighed irritably. _More work for him…_

He had spent the last seven years in Orb as an Orb military personnel and as protector for…children of the Lacus's orphanage. He marveled at himself, and wondered why he agreed to take up the job. It involves looking at kids and at the same time looking out for his least favourite someone-s, namely Cagalli Yula Athha and Athrun Zala, sometimes even the haughty, arrogant, humongous big-head Supreme Councilor named Yzak Jule. The job was fulfilling in more ways than one, for example, he gets to travel around between the moon, earth and PLANTs with Marlene and Maximillion wherever they might be needed as peace envoys, and he gets to meet her every now and then…like now…

A woman in white uniform appeared and ran up to him, darting through the crowds agilely. She halted in front of Shinn and panted. She doubled over and appeared to be trying to catch her breath. Shinn frowned slightly at the unkempt nest of short red hair, and a smile lit up his face as he realized who it was…

"Luna?"

She stood up and grinned broadly, and answered him by pressing her lips onto his…

---

Yzak walked towards the study, a faint smile forming slowly on his face. He was home, and so was his special someone…As he pushed open the varnished oak doors, he looked in, and found what he was looking for immediately…

He treaded his way carefully to the sofa where someone was lying on, trying not to make a single sound that would wake her up. Sedna was wearing a pink dress that ties in round the stomach, napping peacefully in the nest of books and tapes, and looked like she was sorting them out before she fell asleep. And in her arms was a meter tall baby Pooh bear, dusty and worn. He thought he had seen it before somewhere, but couldn't really put a finger to it…He sat down on the little space left on the edge of the sofa and his fingers reached to stroke the stray fringe off her face.

She was beautiful by any standards, even though her shiny black hair had been cropped to the neckline, a trail of long silver fringe fell down and curtained the right side of her face. It wasn't her beauty that attracted him, it was her person, her very existence that seems to light up the world. He marveled at himself, before he met her, he couldn't imagine what it will be like to spend a lifetime with one person. It would be totally unbearably even for a minute, especially if that person is Athrun Zala. But now he knew, she taught him…

And though he never told her just how much, he loved her more than when he first met her. It was beyond his comprehension as to how much you can love one person, and it was still a mystery. Now she was no longer the military woman she used to be, and he was no longer a front line commander, but a Supreme Councilor, like his mother who has been reinstated.

His mother never liked her, she claims that she…erm 'snatched her son away'… But even Ezaria Jule behaved like a doting grandmother-in-the-making when Yzak announced that her she's pregnant.

Sedna however, says that pregnancy doesn't agree with her, she says it makes her nauseous, drowsy and temperamental. Yzak disagreed, seven months into her term and she's looking happier day by day, in anticipation of the child that will be born into this world…

Yzak refused to admit to her that he was very much excited about it as well. It was interesting to hear her say things like, 'He kicked me…!", or 'Yzak, your kid's bullying your wife.' He didn't know how true it was till this day for he wasn't on the receiving end of the abuse.(Thank God for that.) To make up for it, he had promised to be in the maternity ward right beside her when she gives birth…

He regarded her bloated stomach intently with a slight frown, like a cat studying a piece of fish. Marveling that firstly there was actually a little person inside, and secondly the little person is actually capable of causing Sedna so much distress. He checked one last time to make sure she was still sound asleep before he made his move…He gingerly laid a hand on her stomach, and miraculously he did feel a weak throb beneath his fingers. Thoroughly amazed, he leaned forward slowly, and adhered his ear to the site and listened carefully for any further movements. He was marveled to hear a little steady throbbing sound, and he thought **_this is… fun_**. He probed further, carefully trying not to wake her as his senses searched for the sound and he caught it once again, a small, weak, but significant sound…monotonous but oddly intriguing to his ears.

It was rhythmic like a song, the melody of life. It indicated that there was indeed a little being inside, and the little being is waiting to be born into the world…

Yzak smiled as he started counting off **_1,2,3,4,5,…_** and he relaxed, allowing himself to be absorbed into task of infinite counting, slowly getting mesmerized and he drifted off to sleep…

--- Chapter One, complete. How'd you like it? To all who did read Beyond Destiny and is now reading this, congrats, cause you'll probably know more of what's going on. To those who haven't, no harm done. But if you're bored you can go check out Beyond Destiny as well, it's good reading, (I think) Hee, till then, chapter next…


	2. Chapter 2:Chairnapped

Chapter Two: Chair-napped

-

"**_But…but Marlene needs me too…"Athrun Zala_**

-

Cagalli's honey-coloured eyes fluttered open in the morning, and found a handsome and familiar face inches away from hers.

He was apparently sleeping peacefully, his breathing deep and regularly paced. His strong arms wrapped about her, pulling her so close she could lean her forehead on his chin and her fingers touched his cheeks. She was staring at his collar bone, where a chain holding two items adorned his slender neck. The platinum chain strung the reddish-purple stone with a ring- their ring. A mark, a pledge of eternal love only to each other…

"Athrun…" She addressed him dearly; his name sounded so foreign yet so familiar to her own ears. She missed that name when he wasn't around, and when he is she felt good…Both of them are twenty four this year, and their relationship has gotten more intimate if nothing else. She could remember the scenario last night, the teasing the touching the …etc, etc…And she looked anew at his face, marveling at the fact that there existed a man so perfect, and the man sleeps right here beside her…

Athrun Zala was perfect in every aspect, he was the perfect soldier, the perfect Chairman, the perfect romantic boyfriend (and a perfect husband)…He was perfect physically, mentally, emotionally…cough …sexually cough…

She shook herself for thinking these thought, and absentmindedly allowed her fingers to wander over his muscular shoulder. And she halted at the protruding line of skin, which was the remnant of a healed injury. _It was a scar caused by someone he loved dearly…_

Her eyes drifted lethargically to his right arm, where there was a second scar, it was something she put on him herself those nine years ago when they ended up on the deserted island in each other's company. Guilt wrenched at her heart and she apologized inwardly for hurting him all over again. They were always hurting each other, no matter when, but oddly enough they always managed to forgive and get back together over and over again; and face the future together. That was one thing that makes everything more precious…

Her hand continued to wander, and reached boldly into the blankets covering both of them, stroking down his collar bone and chest. Her fingers searched blindly for the second scar she left on him, and she found it with a small gasp, she realized its position when she circled his belt. This one was deeper and wider, and it must have been painful… This was the result of the time she fired a second time, not aiming at anything in particular but scratched him anyway…

She slid her fingers away, not wanting to allow guilt to claim her once again. And she suddenly realized that her fingertips were now resting on his hip bone, _if she moved down anymore…_

"Cagalli…you naughty girl…" Came a lazy, baritone voice that originated from above her head.

"A…Athrun!" She asked in alarm. "How long have you been awake!"

"Since you started touching me everywhere…" He teased. "You can continue, I'm in no place to object…"

"Hey…! It's not my fault that you're so…' She protested as she stopped herself quickly and blushed...

Before he could reply, someone knocked and Athrun hastily pulled up the blankets and wrapped tighter about Cagalli to hide her, just as three of his bodyguards, triplets actually, Belle, Bethany and Belinda opened the door by a sliver and poked their heads in, "P…I mean Sir, it's time we make a move, later on is the treaty signing and we figured you might want to go early. The young envoys are already in the car."

"Of course." He acknowledge almost irritably, "Today's another day." Cagalli heart pounded in her ears as Bethany questioned, "Chairman…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you usually sleep nude?"

"Yes, I do." Athrun replied sarcastically, and Cagalli cupped her hands over her mouth, trying to hold back a chortle.

"Oh."

When the three were gone, Cagalli shoved off the blanket off her head and sighed, "Now, where's my clothes?" Athrun forced a laugh as he kissed her forehead.

They got out of bed and dressed quickly as Athrun whispered, "I'll go first…no one will notice." He looked hesitant for a while…

"Mm…Hmm?"

"After we finish uniting the fronts of Orb and PLANTs…" He reached to caress her face awkwardly as he bit his lip, "There will no longer be a need to hide…"

"I hope so too…" She replied, and he left with a wry smile…

---

The emptiness started again once he was gone, she was worried, she had been consistently worrying about him, about Marlene, about the situation between PLANTs and Orb. So much so that she hadn't ate or slept well in weeks, and that's why she lost weight. But she didn't want Athrun to worry, so all she had to do was to make him think that she went on a diet or something. The situation between PLANTs and Orb now rest on rocky grounds, it was the moment of acceptance for the people of PLANTs, to accept others not as strong as smart as themselves, but related to them by blood… And she and Athrun now stand in the gap as mediators between the two nations, working their butts off to pave the way for an opening, for a path that will crack the walls between the two parties…

Furthermore, she worked relentlessly because she cared for the Marlene and Maximillion, both as an envoy and as a child. If they couldn't even prove to the world that half-bloods were as normal as any child, their chances of convincing the Coordinators community were slim.

And that would in turn, make their feelings for each other and their true relationship all the more unacceptable, and not openly discussable. But beyond that, she felt that she was making use of the children, and the least she could do to make up for it is to care for them as best as she could…

---

Mwu La Fllaga was deeply puzzled; they have been looking relentlessly for the past twenty four hours, and guess what they found?

_Nothing._

It was the oddest day of his life, his instincts are keen, and tingling like a TV antenna. But no matter how hard they looked, nothing turned up. _Sure it was dark and crummy and all, but in the remnant of a facility such as this, surely there must have been some tell-tale evidence left behind?_

"What exactly are we looking for!" Spencer asked irritably, and Mwu shrugged. He didn't reply because even he wasn't sure, but he had a hunch that there was something important that rest in the hidden depths of this orbiting tomb. They have been looking around for almost two hours and when their search was in vain it was pretty frustrating, and unnerving.

Just as he thought of giving up for now and heading back to the Archangel, a voice addressed him through the transmission. "Are you General Mwu La Fllaga?" And he caught sight of this guy wearing a red Zaft pilot suit floating towards them.

"Yes." He replied in affirmation, "…and you are the new guy on the team? Light Yagami?" The man stopped about a meter away and acknowledge with a, "Yes, sir."

Mwu couldn't really see his face for it was awfully dark and the only form of illumination were the torches, resisting the urge to shine the flash light in his face just for the kicks, Mwu extended a hand in greeting, "Welcome aboard." And gave him a firm handshake. Mwu decided he liked the man enough, he had a friendly voice, enough to introduce him to Spencer, "Spencer, our colleague has arrived…"

Spencer didn't hear as he looked into the cardboards, and lo and behold, caught sight of what appears to be an old log book. "Uncle Mwu! Look what I found!" he said excitedly as he fished the book out from its location. Mwu felt his heart skip a beat as he approached Spencer, ignoring the new-comer; looking over his shoulder to examine the dusty issue.

"What is it?"

"Don't know, but why do people still keep information in hand written hard copy is beyond me…" Spencer replied as he made a face, "This thing belongs in a museum." Spencer proceeded to hold the torch firmly in his right hand, and used his left to open it, and was utterly disappointed to find a load of gibberish written on it pages.

"…I didn't know scientist are so artistic." Mwu commented dryly with a lifted eyebrow, "You heard of coded computers, but a coded book it plain overkill. I might as well be reading Greek. What do you make of it?"

The last question was directed at Light, who became awfully still as he studied the item at hand, and it was a pretty unnatural response unless he knows what is written in it.

"Mr…erm, Yagami?" Spencer asked uncertainly, "What's the matter? Can you read this?"

"Ya…Yes." He replied, as if snapping out of a trance, "May I have a closer look?" He requested gingerly, and Spencer handed him the book. "Tell me what does it say?"

Light studied the book for a few more seconds before he gasped and uttered, "We have to go inform the Captain!"

"What?" Mwu asked in bewilderment, "Tell Murrue we found a book written in Greek! We don't even know what does it say…"

"These are plan of some sort!" He began to explain in a hurry, "And…"

"Hurry up before I start breaking things!"

"Chairman Zala is in danger…!" he blurted out the last sentence in a hushed whisper. And Mwu's eyes widened, Spencer recovered first and nodded at Mwu…"We have to get back to the ship! Let's go…" And he bolted, propelling himself back through the way they came, gliding eerily along in the zero-G space and he saw that Mwu was right behind him.

_Chairman Zala is in danger… _

The thought rang out loud in his heart and sent chills up his spine, _he had to prevent that, and he will do just about anything…_Before he could finish his thought, something knocked him hard as the back of his head, and his eyes widened in shock, right before a wave of nausea and darkness claimed his senses entirely…

"_Chairman…Zala…" _he called out inwardly as he fought to regain balance, but realize that no voice left his throat. He was strewn on the cold, hard floor like a rag doll, immobile and helpless. Unable to bring the news to the Chairman, unable to help anyone…He cracked open an eye to see a swirling image of a dark and menacing figure hovering over him, his features indiscernible behind the shadow of his helmet. The face smiled sinisterly, and he knelt down to place something into Spencer's limb hand, something heavy and evenly shaped. And Spencer grimaced, as his mind desperately tried to digest what was happening. The person's smile widened, and he leaned forward to whisper into Spencer's ear, _I'm honouring the last dying wish of your comrade…_

---

Athrun sat in the car with Marlene and Maximillion, facing Kira, Shinn and Belle, looking at the sunrise through the windows.

"Prince…the other hand please…" Belle requested and he obediently handed over his left hand. The three of them had be taken to the habit of calling him, 'Prince', for he had the honour of finding out that they were the ones who founded the 'Prince of Zaft' fan club in the last elections. He used to winch at the term, but gradually he had to get used to it for they don't seem to want to change their address. Now he didn't know whether to feel honoured or annoyed.

"May I know what are you doing to my hand?" He asked gingerly.

"You won't like it if I told you."

"Tell away."

"Buffing." She answered, and Athrun swiftly yanked his hand away as Kira laughed, Shinn merely stared at him with the ever cold glare, indicating the I-don't-find-it-funny look which Athrun simply ignored.

"Max?" He called to the little boy, who was always energetic and bubbly, was for once, quiet, for he was sleeping…

Athrun retrieved a blanket from the compartment behind with a small sigh and laid it gently over the six-year-olds' little frame. He knows that when Max sleeps, he really sleeps, he's just not a morning person. A hundred tons of TNT may not help. Cagalli reckons it's a trait passed down or something… Kira chuckled as he asked Athrun, "How're you doing?"

"Fine, I guess…" And he smiled, pointing to the lady with red hair and black eyes beside Kira, "Guess." He had directed the question at both Shinn and Kira

Kira moaned most uncharacteristically, and uttered "Again? You know I never quite get it right."

"That's what makes it fun. Come on, guess, is she Belle, Bethany or Belinda?"

Kira muttered, "Erm…Belinda?"

"Shinn?"

"Do I have to? How old are you anyway?" He scowled, obviously annoyed but answered anyway, "Bethany."

"That is incorrect. Mr Asuka." Belle answered with a professional smile then turned to Athrun, "Mr Zala, I need permission to whack him."

"Not granted. Belle, just spare him today would you..." Athrun commented dryly.

As the two argued, Athrun turned to Marlene, who was looking out of them same window quietly as storm clouds started gathering, as if she was mildly interested by the scenery passing by.

"Marlene." He called to her, and she turned her head to look at him inquisitively. Her blonde hair was tied up into two pony tails, and her head was small and round, like a doll. She gazed at him and blinked once, as if waiting for him to say something. He smiled, for she always made him feel extra important in a funny way, "Sister Cagalli is worried about you, can you tell me what's wrong with you?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again and pouted, as if reprimanding him for asking such a question. Then she shook her head and refused to stop, "Marlene…! It's okay…"

Just then, the driver jammed down the brake so hard that Athrun was involuntarily thrown forward as the car screeched to a stop. The sound tore at his ears as he forced himself to ignore it and he anchored himself to the seat and held down Marlene and Maximillion to prevent them from flying as well. The door opened to his left and admitted a flustered looking Dearka, "Hey, you still alive?"

"What happened!" Athrun demanded of his bodyguard.

"We were stopped by a bunch of man in black! And they have to cheek to demand that we hand over…" And he gasped at this moment, for someone had smashed the windscreen behind Athrun, who quickly wrapped himself about girl to prevent the glass from cutting her as well. And then someone jabbed a gun at his back, hissing, "Get out of the car…!" He never got to finish his threat, for Dearka had whipped out a gun from his belt and fired at point blank range and he fell.

Athrun snatched the gun out of the assassin's limp fingers and turned to fire at the invaders, keeping the little girl close by. The assassins had already surrounded the place. His three triplet guards surrounded the car and were firing, and others were dropping like flies. Deark tossed a handgun at Kira, and shouted, "Help out, won't you?" over the din of the shots. Shinn yelled, "If you can't use it you get down this instant!"

"Mr Zala, are you alright?" Belinda, the youngest asked in her shrill voice.

"Yes, keep shooting. Aim for those at eleven o'clock!"

"Yessir! At your two o'clock!"

Atrun turned right slightly and fired. "Thanks." Through the chaos of gun fire and noise, his mind of a soldier revived and he could tell three things just by analyzing every detail available to him. First, the people who attacked were Coordinators, for such reflexes and precision were unheard of in the world of the Naturals. Second, their target was him. Thirdly, Athrun's side was winning, for the enemy was fewer in numbers now and couldn't seem to get pass his red uniform guards.

Just as he thought the battle will be over as soon as it began, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned just in time to see someone breaching Bethany's defense, shattering the right window and grabbed the girl by her collar and hoisted her aloof as easily as would one lift a puppy; dragging her out of the car. The hooded man pointed a gun at the little girls temple and bellowed, "Get your man to stop shooting, or I'll kill the girl!"

"STOP FIRING!" Athrun ordered immediately, trying to keep his voice leveled. All the firing sounds ceased at once and he breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves. The invaders then pointed guns at members of his battalion and they pointed back, the tables turned in an instant. He was scared, but he had to show that he wasn't. "What do you want?"

"Drop the gun." The man ordered him, and Athrun allowed it to slip from his fingers… the man's voice ringing at the back of his mind, it was eerily familiar and was waiting to be recognized by Athrun's brain.

"Get out of the car."

"Prince…No." Bethany spat weakly as she bled from a wound on her shoulder, "Don't surrender to these… vermin!"

Athrun didn't reply, but allowed his face to remain slack and emotionless as he stepped out of the car. _Thunder cracked past menacingly within the dark rolling clouds overhead…it was a sound that made Athrun's hair stand and his bones rattled… _The assassin held Marlene up by the collar, she was kicking and screaming all the way, tears flowing freely. Athrun caught her eyes and gazed at her gently, mentally reassuring her that it will be alright, that he won't let anything happen to her.

It was as if the girl heard his mental message, for she sniffled and quietened down.

"Come quietly now, no tricks…and no one will get hurt." _Another sound of the roaring thunder.._

"Zala!" Dearka called from behind him, warning him to stop walking forward, but Athrun couldn't stop. For he knew that if he only knew that if he didn't do as the guy says, he will murder the little girl...   
"ATHRUN!" Kira shouted this time, "Don't go with them! The PLANTs need you, Ca…" Kira caught himself hastily, "…she needs you too!" That made Athrun stop in his tracks…

As Athrun hesitated, the guy holding Marlene sneered and yanked at one of her ponytails and she screamed helplessly, the shrill little sound wrenching Athrun's heart, a hundred times more scary and impacting than the thunder overhead. He turned to Kira and whispered quietly, "Marlene needs me too…"

In reply, the guy shoved Marlene roughly into their car, and motioned for Athrun to come closer.

"ATHRUN ZALA, YOU COME BACK THIS INSTANT OR I"LL…" Shinn hollered, but his threat was lost to Athrun, who took one step after another mechanically, tensed yet unchallenged, knowing his chance to retaliate lie just ahead_…Lightning flashed across the sky, igniting the canopy of dark storm clouds and accompanied by the roaring thunder…_ The guy wanted him, and he wanted it desperately enough to make the most primary mistake in gun fights, _he didn't make Athrun's guards disarm when he had the chance_, and that was Athrun's last defense. He could only hope that his men were still alert and unwilling to give up…

When Athrun was close enough to the man he suddenly dropped his stance and ordered, "FIRE!", as he sent a kick into the man's legs; now fully appreciating the mobility that his Chairman uniform provided, gunshots sounded repeatedly behind him, a battle between his bodyguards and the kidnappers. The man lost his balance and fell to the floor and Athrun took the moment to punch him viciously in the face, and he was motionless after that. He quickly removed the gun from his limp fingers and turned to order his team, "KILL THEM!"

He saw out of the corner of his eye that Kira was coming toward him to aid him. But just as Athrun turned around and stretched out a hand towards the little girl, a pair of hands wrapped about his neck and tightened, strangling him. Athrun realized in horror that the guy was only feigning unconsciousness; he grimaced and struggled hard against the grip, shouting to Kira for help. The guy responded by ramming Athrun hard against the car door frame, knocking the air out of his lungs and Athrun felt his head spin for a moment. In defense he started to claw frantically at the person, who was alarmingly stronger than he was. The grip around his neck tightened and Athrun clenched his teeth, struggling to breath and the man smashed his head against the metal frame of the car this time. Having no other mode of defense, Athrun swept his nails across the assailant's face like a wild animal, leaving three scratches there which started to bleed almost immediately, and he realized that the hood was thrown off instantaneously to reveal his face. Athrun gasped audibly as he couldn't help but stare at the face…it was a waking dream, or even a nightmare…

Athrun's eyes were wide, as he gazed at the unmistakable face…It wasn't an ugly face, it wasn't even unpleasant to look at, but Athrun didn't know why it made him sick to the stomach.

"K…Kira!" He uttered blankly, and the Kira swiftly can to his aid, "ATHRUN!"

Kira didn't know why Athrun just stand there and stared, _maybe the fella had a very disfigured face that shocked Athrun or something…_And as Kira managed to get close enough, the assailant took Athrun's moment of weakness to …

Athrun felt one hand loosen for a fraction of a second from his neck to rip open his collar as he stared, causing the chain holding the reddish-purple stone and their wedding ring to show momentarily. Before he could react, the guy immobilized him and pressed something sharp… hard against his neck…

At the instant a ring of micro-needles punctured his skin and delivered one powerful dose of chemical into his system, Athrun eyes widened in shock, but could feel himself giving way. Succumbing rapidly under the effects of the tranquilizer…His head started swimming as a wave of nausea claimed his senses and engulfed his perception of heaven and earth… and it was as if his limbs had turned to jell'o; and refused to obey him. All his strength mercilessly left his body at that moment and he fell gracelessly to the harsh mortar ground. He could no longer move, but could still feel as someone dragged him upright forcibly and pressed the barrel of the gun at his forehead and shouted, "Come any closer and I'll kill 'im!"

The threat was clear, all seemed to come to as stand still as Kira stopped advancing, and all forms of retaliation ceased once again. _Had Kira realized it too?_ The moment was etched in time as with one last flash of lightning, the heavens' floodgates were opened to bring down rain, drenching everything in sight in a few seconds. Athrun lay there, knowing they had lost, and hating himself for it. He couldn't speak, he couldn't do anything but breathe, his brain didn't allow it…but he could dimly feel rain drops beating down relentlessly on his face and neck.

He barely registered as the man shoved him roughly into the car right beside Marlene, as he heard Shinn running towards the car with a wild scream as the final attack, followed by a gun shot, and then…nothing…

His head rolled limply to one side and he blinked lethargically, squinting at the little girl's tear-stained face, which was the last thing he saw before he went under completely…

---

Sedna shifted slightly beneath him as her chestnut brown eyes fluttered open, blinking her eyes a few more times to focus a face, his face. And she smiled, finally catching her husband in the act of something he told her was stupid. "Yzak Jule, why are you sleeping on my tummy?"

And Yzak gasped as his eyes blinked open and he jerked away quickly. She laughed as propped herself up with his help and noticed the bear in her lap, she lifted it towards Yzak and asked excitedly, "You remember this?"

Yzak answered in a placating and uninterested manner, "I… think so."

"Let me give you a clue…" she said as smiled mischievously, and said, "close you eyes…" Yzak lifted an eyebrow, studying her and did it anyway. She then whispered into his ear, "You said you were bored and tired, we went there to have fun…" and she pecked him on the cheek unexpectedly. Yzak's eyes flicked open as realization dawned on him, the recollection coming back…"It was…!"

"Yea, I thought I lost it." She replied as she studied the bear adoringly before giving it a hug, "It's the first gift you ever got for me, I'll cherish it."

"GIFT? …I wouldn't call it a gift if I were you…" Yzak stated coldly. "Speaking of which…hand." He said as he picked up her left hand…

Sedna gasped as Yzak slot the ring into her fourth finger, "I know you said you didn't want one because…" Yzak explained as he looked away.

"…I'll lose it…!" she uttered, as she tried to remove it.

"But I bought one, and it doesn't sit well with me. And this will prevent those guys from hitting on you, by showing them a proof that you're already married." He insisted as he wrestled with her.

She stopped protesting and studied him for a moment before she conceded defeat, and surrendered with a small sigh, "Thank you, but you have no excuse to scold me if I lose it."

"The heck I will not." He replied firmly, a smile playing about his lips. "I…am going back to the office now; Shiho will realize I'm not there…"

"One week later…?"

"…Maybe more." He replied truthfully after a moment of hesitation, it was busy time. For elections occur in PLANTs once every seven years, and the next one it due in a month.

Yzak was now the Supreme Councilor in charged of internal affairs, which is a lot of work. And he had to take time off just to see her for a brief ten minutes.

He was a little sad and disappointed with himself sometimes even though he never told her… He felt guilty for not being able to spend more time with her when she needs him, but he just can't. He promised to himself that he will make up for it after elections, whatever the outcome…

Sedna had no such reservations, she laid her fingers on his shoulders and prompted him to shift till his back was facing her. "Sedna?" He asked as he peeked over his left shoulder. She gathered the length of his silver hair expertly as she uttered wistfully, "I like you hair."

"You may have it then." He answered immediately, "It's too long."

"It's already mine." She replied with such utter confidence that Yzak wanted to laugh. "Done." And Yzak stood up, his hair now neatly pulled back and tied at the back of his head. "I'm going. Any last words?"

"…I'll miss you…" ,and she said as she stood up, but was interrupted as Yzak pressed his lips onto hers, and the two were instantly locked into a word of isolated emotions. A moment in time made just for the two of them…

And his cell phone had to ring… Yzak pulled away irritably as he flipped open his mobile, and registered it was Dearka's number. "What?" he demanded.

Sedna watched as Yzak listened intently and his face slowly paled most uncharacteristically, and eventually he shouted into the phone, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE"S GONE!"

---Chapter 2…Done.


	3. Chapter 3:The Search Begins

Chapter three: The search begins

-

"_**I swear I'm gonna kill him when I see him!" Shinn Asuka**_

-

"What do you mean, 'He's gone…'?" Cagalli asked quietly, which was very unlike herself. Lacus placed a hand on Cagalli's, which were quivering violently. They were in the infirmary in PLANTs, and Kira is getting his cuts and bruises treated. Mr Sas was cleaning a wound on Kira face and he requested, "Mr Yamato, do refrain from moving unless you want another cut on your cheek."

"Cagalli…they have Marlene as well." That statement caused her to stiffen, she demanded, "Who has Athrun and Marlene?", Lacus could tell she was losing it.

"Cagalli…!"

"I asked you where is Athrun and Marlene!" Cagalli almost screamed as she grabbed Kira by the lapels and shook him, "I WANT TO KNOW WHERE 'S MY HUS…!" Kira cupped a hand over her mouth quickly to muffle her protest as he eyed Dr Sas cautiously.

"Walls have ears." he warned quietly.

"Cagalli, calm down…" Lacus whispered as she gripped her hands a little tighter, trying to reassure her. She shook Kira's hand off and panted, her eyes wide as she asked again, more collected this time.

"…What happened…!"

"They caught up with us on the highway."

"And?"

"They caught Marlene and threatened Athrun to surrender."

"And he did?"

"…Yes." Kira answered, and added, "We did tell him not to, but he just went on. He… he wanted to ensure Marlene's safety first…"

"Then…?"

"They knock him out and shoved him into a car, then called their men and drive off…"

"Did you guys give chase!" She interrupted.

"We couldn't…" He answered quietly.

"WHY?"

"Punctured car tyres and too many injured men." He answered shortly, tired of Cagalli's constant interruption, "Shinn still hasn't woken up..."

"Who are they and what do they want with Athrun and Marlene!"

"I don't know…"

"Where did they take them!"

"I don't…"

"What if they do something horrible to the two of them!" Cagalli exclaimed as she stood up. And at this moment the door flew open to admit a very pissed looking Dearka Elthman, "In all due respect…Representative Yula Athha, take your shouting match with your brother back to earth!" he hissed in a low and dangerous tone before cracking, "I can HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY FROM BELOW!"

"It's not MY FAULT that someone KIDNAPPED ATHRUN! ……And in PLANTs!" She retorted incredulously.

"Look, is it MY FAULT! we DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AND YOU SHOUTING ISN'T GONNA HELP ONE BIT!"

Cagalli's face flushed red and she lunged forward suddenly, as if planning to attack Dearka, but Kira intercepted her and help her down firmly. She trashed and struggled like a wild cat in captivity as she let out a strangled cry, never taking her angry eyes off the blonde. "Cagalli! We're all as worried as you, let's hear what Dearka has to say!" Then Kira turned to Dearka and asked hopefully, "I'm sure you came for more than small talk, right?"

Dearka's eyes widened, as if thoroughly taken aback by the question. For a few moments, he just remained that way as his gaze lowered gradually to the floor; as if ashamed… Slowly, he made his way to an armchair and sat down heavily, unable to suppress a slow sigh. With one bandaged hand he rummaged through his hair and gritted his teeth as he lowered his head. Kira understood his frustration, for he too was there when the incident happened. Athrun had been removed from them right before their eyes, and they were all there, but were all unable to help. Unable to save Marlene and Athrun… it made Kira fell pretty lousy, and he felt as if he just killed his friend with his own two hands; for only God knows what the assailants will do to Athrun and the little girl…

Dearka smashed his fist into the wall as he shouted, "He was so stupid…!"

"I agree." Yzak said evenly as he entered the room soundlessly with Shiho by his side, who closed the door behind him.

His appearance brought such unbelievable solemn and calmness to the room that it caused a shiver to run up the length of Kira's spine. Yzak was angry, and he was trying very hard not to show it. But there it was where Yzak stood; deep, dead fury emanating from his still from, unmistakable for anything else but what it was. Reproach and abhorrence was pouring out of every pore and every syllabus as he next spoke. "I"ve never seen a more irresponsible act. I swear I'm GONNA MAKE LIFE LIVING HELL FOR HIM WHEN HE COMES BACK…"

"You mean, IF he comes back." Kira spat, struggling to keep his own temper under control. "We have to find him first before you start jumping all over him…What would YOU do if Sedna was taken instead!"

Yzak narrowed his cool blues eyes and answered through gritted teeth, "I would go with them."

"Then you are the same as Athrun." Kira answered with satisfaction.

"I…" Yzak paused deliberately, allowing Kira to scrutinize his statement, "…Am not the head of a nation heading a reformation. I am not in the position of being re-elected for Chairmanship. What he did is outright wrong and nothing can change that now. I would expect him to exercise better judgment…does he realize how delicate this little balance is…"

"It wasn't as if Athrun WANTED TO BE kidnapped!" Cagalli spoke up now standing up as she shook Kira off.

"Do you understand anything!" and Yzak began making large, defined gestures as if talking to little kids, "The little girl goes, no problem. Athrun Zala goes, no issue. Chairman Zala gets kidnapped in his own country, big, big problems! You have any idea what conspired within the last five hours in the meeting room! That old geezer…" Yzak spat as he squeezed the air as if it was someone's neck. "Yzak…" Kira hissed, as he side glanced Dearka, who shrugged as Yzak started shouting a string of profanities at the person in question. "Hey, no biggie…I fell out with my old man a while ago…"

Yzak started explaining in a rush, "The council had a vote…"

"About what?" Cagalli asked incredulously.

"About whether to keep this business quiet…" And Cagalli's eyes widened, "think, if it gets out that Chairman Zala was taken right under the noses of two Orb Union security men and a whole battalion of Zaft elite soldiers, how does that sound on news!"

"People will think it's foul play…" Lacus said thoughtfully.

"Precisely, in all probability, the EAF is involved…so we have a six-six draw, Athrun is usually the tie breaker. Then he pulled in the whole council, all seventy six members and guess what?"

"What?" Dearka asked, knowing Yzak didn't really need an answer.

"We have one week to find him, that's about as much time as we can drag back everything and pretend nothing happened…"

"Who's we!" Kira asked immediately.

"Me." Yzak said coldly, "…Half a dozen Zaft ships and a couple of morons from the DSSD, followed by whoever's gonna volunteer to go out there to go look for the idiot."

"I'll go." Kira volunteered as he stood up, he clenched his fist as he declared, "I couldn't just do nothing."

"Same here." Cagalli replied in affirmation, and a 'bump' is heard under the bed where Kira was sitting on, and soon emerged as a blonde boy who just knocked his head. "I wanna go too…"

"Max…?" Lacus asked in surprise, "For how long were you hiding under the bed?"

"Long enough." He perked up as he said again, "I wanna go save my sister!"

"…I never said anything about taking minors aboard the ship…" Yzak replied coldly. And Maximillion widened his eyes in obvious disappointment and looked like he was gonna cry, those emerald green eyes gazed deeply into Yzak's blue ones, piercing through every line of defense that Yzak had against him. "Please…" He uttered in a soft, meek voice of a child, "Pretty please?" Yzak wasn't about to show it, but he melted inwardly.

Everyone observed quietly as the staring match continued, with Max deploying his ultimate weapon against the unyielding Yzak Jule. Slowly, Max clashed his hands together as if in prayer and raised them to the point beneath his chin, and gave Yzak the most angelic, innocent face he could muster as he asked again, "Please?" That did it, Yzak stepped backwards involuntarily, ashamed at how easily a child could tempt him into making decisions he usually wouldn't make just with those emerald green eyes, "Alright!" He shouted in exasperation and Maximillion leaped up in joy as he slapped high-five with Lacus, Kira and Cagalli.

"The kid's settled, I'll go too." Dearka proclaimed, "I'm so gonna give him a good bashing when I see him!" and he punched his palm.

"Count me in too." Came a steely voice as the door smashed open, admitting someone whose shoulder blade was swathed in white cotton bandages.

"Big brother Shinn!" Max exclaimed.

"Shinn!" Kira asked as Shinn limped into the room with a nurse in his wake, he ignored her protest as he said, "I'm going after those scumbags too!"

"…You're just worried about Athrun…aren't you?" Dearka cooed.

"NO! I just want to make sure no one else kills him before I do!"

"You'll have to beat Yzak to that…" Kira pointed out.

"Then I will." Shinn declared as he shot daggers at Yzak, who glared back at him…

---

Spencer Gladys cracked open one eye at the sound of his name, and caught sight of someone shaking him. He blinked lethargically for a few more times, and discovered he was staring into the face of Mwu La Fllaga. The image came into focus gradually and Spencer whispered uncertainly, "Uncle… Mwu?"

"Yeah kid, you hurting anywhere?" Mwu asked as he lifted Spencer's shoulders of the ground, carefully cradling his head. Spencer tried to lift himself, and felt as throbbing ache at the back of his head, where someone hit him, and the last thing he heard before going under came back to him in a haunted rush…

_I'm honouring the last dying wish of your comrade…_

"How's the new guy doing!" He asked as he jerked up suddenly, his eyes widened. Mwu looked surprised for the moment, than he averted Spencer questioning glare as he muttered under his breath, "Not so well…" Spencer drew breath sharply as he turned around to the supposed direction of where he last saw Light Yagami, and Mwu cupped a hand over his eyes and gripped his shoulder as he shouted, "Listen kid, it's better if you did not see…"

"I want to know what happened!" He demanded as he struggled, trying to get away from Mwu's death grip, "LET ME GO!"

"You'll regret it…" Mwu whispered warningly.

"I WON'T, Let GO!" He screamed louder, trying to contain his emotions as he frantically pried Mwu's hand off his face. And when the covering was removed, what Spencer saw haunted him for the rest of his life…Deep, dark fear crept into his heart as tears well up in his eyes,

_What if the same had already happened to the Chairman… _

---

Somewhere else, Athrun Zala opened his eyes…And found himself staring at a nice, sky blue ceiling.

_Where am I?_

---

Short Chapter…next one longer.


	4. Chapter 4:The Road

Chapter 4: The road

"_Athrun Zala…you're smarter than you look…"Unknown_

Athrun Zala opened his eyes, and allowed his gaze to settle upon the baby blue ceiling above.

_Where am I?_

The question surfaced from the depths of his mind, troubling him like a fly. He blinked lethargically, trying to shake the grogginess that clouded his brain and kept him from doing any fruitful thinking.

_What happened?_

The second question came more insistently, more irritating than its predecessor and in a sense, more demanding Athrun's attention. It was screaming at his dulled senses, telling his soldier mind how important it is to first get you bearings right before judging your surroundings. He could sense that it was important but required the cognitive functions that he did not possess. He grimaced as he tried to think of what really took place before he ended up in his current location and situation, it gave him a sharp headache just trying. He realized he was lying on a soft mattress, lined with white linen sheet and comforter, and a thick blanket draped over his lanky frame. He realized that he was still in his damp chairman uniform…

_Why is it damp…? _

And as if the last piece of puzzle had suddenly fallen in place by itself, everything came back to him in a rush, like water from a broken floodgate. Everything came back to him in an instant, everything including the man in black suits, the gun fight, _Dearka, Kira…Shinn getting shot…, the sedative…then the very last image he saw before going under…was Marlene's tear stained face…_

"…Marlene!" He said aloud as his eyes widened, his voice came out in a hushed whisper as he jerked upright, and almost blacked out. The next thing he knew he was lying on the mattress again, his face sweat-streaked and his breathing ragged. He swallowed the nausea that rose from the pit of his sickened stomach and tried to keep himself from panicking. He knew a lot happened, he knew he had been drugged, he knew the thugs have Marlene, _but what do thy want with her? What did they want with him?_

He tried to rise again, unwilling to just lie there like an invalid, but more slowly and cautiously this time. He managed to lift his head and shoulders off the bed, and turned to observe the surroundings. He was in a room that looked like his own, with simple décor and simple furnishings. He was on queen sized bed that occupied the center of the space, behind him was a mirror paneled wall, and beside was a cupboard made of vanished oak, the carvings on it are so intricate that he was momentarily caught staring at the pretty patterns. He turned curtly to find a desk equipped with a desk top plasma screen beside the door.

His surroundings puzzled him, and he decided that if his captors had meant to cause him any distress, they had done a hideously awful job.

_The place still had an exit, for crying out loud._

Next he lifted the blanket off himself, and stood up, liking the solid feel of the carpeted floor beneath his feet. He made his way to the door unsteadily, and realized that it lacked one very important thing; the handle.

"Awake then…" came a cool steely voice from behind his back and he spun around to face the owner of the voice, and almost fainted altogether. One hand went to his throbbing temples and the other to the wall to steady himself. The hooded man stood facing him, his back propped against the mirrored wall; a guaze on his face where Athrun scratched him. And Athrun was immediately cautious of the man, for no one gets behind him like that, his Coordinator senses didn't allow it. It told him that this man, his captor, was likely a Coordinator too… But he did seem to come out of nowhere, and that frightened Athrun, for it told him that the room isn't as simple as it seems.

Athrun swallowed, trying to hide the fear in his voice as he hide himself behind the mask of a politician, a face hard and emotionless.

"Yes…I would introduce myself, but under these circumstances, you'd probably already know who I am…"

Athrun was spiting the man, testing the waters in slow small steps… The ball isn't in his court, but Athrun knew somehow he would have to get it back before it's too late. The men who abducted him are fully trained soldiers, they are not afraid to kill and will not hesitate at pulling the trigger.

The man made no observable move, but Athrun could imagine him smiling under the shadows of his hood.

"Everyone knows the renowned Chairman Zala…" He replied, his voice thick with mocked flattery. "The most ignorant and foolish Chairman PLANTs has ever seen…

"Chairmen know a great deal more than people perceive they do…" Athrun said quietly.

"Really? Would you happen to know who am I?" He teased, it was an empty challenge.

"I would if you tell me…"

"I'm no fool, I don't talk to fools."

"Yet you're talking to a foolish Chairman such as myself…" Athrun finished gracefully, taking a steady step forward as he said, "I'm growing tired of small talk…" The effects of the drug had finally worn off and he could feel his mind clearing, his steps becoming more fluid and steady as he pranced forward confidently.

"You know nothing of what's happening…" The man accused, the smile coming back to him. "I can kill you quietly and be done with it…" The threat scared Athrun, but he tried not to show it.

"You won't."

"How would you know?"

"Because if you wanted to, you would have done it on the highway. That would have saved you the trouble of preparing this suite…" He gestured at their surroundings, "…for the 'ignorant and foolish Chairman'. My life is of no value to you, alive, I'm useful to your cause. Dead, I'm but another part of history. You didn't put me here so that you can kill me somewhere quiet and comfortable, you want a deal with me, don't you? And I beseech you to hurry, for foolish people are not known for their patience…I would dearly love to know how I may be of service…"

His little speech left the man quiet and rooted to the spot, but Athrun could tell that his tempers were beginning to fray; he was losing his composure soon. And Athrun kept at it, trying to convince him that they were on equal grounds even though they obviously are not. He was the kidnapper and Athrun had been kidnapped and at the mercy of these people, but that didn't mean there was no way out…

"I know you're a Coordinator, you're trained…and probably from Zaft, I recognize your fighting technique, I know my soldiers when I see one. Taking Marlene was an accident, but you're going to use her now to threaten me. You never intended to kill me, just make me comfortable so that I will assist you. Am I right?"

_Bulls eye…_

For the man stiffened at the declaration, obviously surprised that Athrun had guessed that much just by analyzing the situation and the available evidence. But he recovered his composure quickly enough, and managed to utter, "Athrun Zala…you're smarter than you look…"

"Why thank you…" Athrun accepted the insult graciously, "So if you want to bargain with me…I'm listening, but I would first like to know where on earth my little peace envoy is …" Athrun said as he sat down casually on the bed and patted the soft space next to him, as if inviting a child to sit down. He propped one heel against the bed post, letting his hand fall casually to his side, and his fingers brushed against his boots...

"That can be arranged…" The man replied as he snapped his fingers, and the mirror paneled wall transformed into a screen, a screen showing Marlene in a room similar to his cell, calmly fidgeting with some toys given to her.

"Marlene!" He called, but she had apparently not heard him. Athrun looked more closely, and discovered that it was not a screen, but a glass wall. And judging from Marlene's reaction, or the lack of it, it is one-side viewing…unless the man in front of him allows it.

"Chairman Zala, I'm beginning to like you a great deal more…" The hooded man said as he took one step closer, and Athrun turned curtly to face him. His gaze boring holes in the wall, and reaching into his boots, he slipped the plastic weapon out from its hiding place, Athrun attacked.

He lunged forward suddenly, like a leopard pouncing upon his prey, the blade in his hand. He was armed and dangerous, he could wield the blade as well as he could use the gun…They would have searched him for weapons and such when they brought him here, but the blade was made of malleable plastic and carried the same texture as the interior of his boots, making it undetectable to even X-ray. They would have to pry his shoes off to find it. The man had already proved to be stronger than he was, so his sure advantage will be speed and surprise.

The surprised man ducked Athrun's first attack by leaping backwards, backing into the desk. Athrun swiped at him again, this time managing to cut his face where the gauze had been. The man cursed and recovered enough from sheer shock to kick at Athrun's legs, who responded by jumping onto the desk, spinning around and plunging the blade mercilessly towards the man's eyes.

The man reached up and caught Athrun by the wrist and twisted so hard such that Athrun felt the ligament tear; and could only try not to scream as pain erupted from the damaged muscle, rendering his arm useless. The blade fell from his limp fingers, and midway through freefall, was snatched up by the man's right hand. And Athrun's eyes widened as if he saw the next part in slow motion. The man raised the blade to chest level with a sinister smile, and gave Athrun's injured right arm a merciless yank.

Athrun was pulled forward and he lost balance, falling off the narrow space gracelessly. And as he sailed through the air towards the ground, the blade of the dagger singed the side of his throat. Athrun felt no pain, only a cold, dark fear that engulfed his being at that instant.

But the man gave him no time to be afraid, he dropped the dagger and clutched Athrun's neck, smashing him headfirst onto the ground…Athrun knew he lost consciousness momentarily, and when he opened his green eyes to gaze at the man holding down his throat, he saw the damage had been done. _For behind the man was the desk that had been sprinkled with Athrun's blood…_

"Don't move!" He commanded as he tightened the grip around Athrun's throat, pure rage seeping out of every word. "You FRICKIN' SON-OF A B!"

_As if I could…_Athrun thought dimly, feeling a dreadful chill seep through his body. He knew he would die of blood loss instantly if the man removed the pressure on the wound. And he would still die if he continued strangling him like this…he closed his eyes and relaxed.

It wasn't the first time he was stuck in this sort of situation, and he found that he was no longer afraid now; he no longer panicked. He no longer rejected the imminient…He was more sorry if anything…

_Sorry that he had been unable to protect and rescue Marlene, sorry for not being able to say a proper thank you to those who helped him along all these years, and sorry for not saying goodbye to Cagalli……_

With those thoughts he drifted off, swallowing hard as he closed his eyes…

---

Mwu found the love of his life on the Archangel Observatory deck looking out of the glass; casting her gaze far beyond, onto the stars that littered across the span of her vision.

"Murrue." He addressed her softly, and she turned and looked at him for a moment, her shoulder length brown hair floated along with the movement of her head, and quietly she gestured for him to come closer. He complied, drifting towards her lethargically. She stretched out a hand to take his as he reached his destination.

"How's Spencer?" She inquired softly, trying to hide the worry from her voice but failing miserably.

"Resting, in his room." He answered in a small gentle voice, as if trying to buffer the impact of what he was about to say

"I read through the report, and Mr Yagami's death was…"

"Unavoidable."

"Spencer's blaming himself…" Ramius replied, looking at the floor as she gripped Mwu's sleeve, "And he shouldn't be…"

"He'll recover quickly enough, he said so."

"By now you should have learnt to believe only about fifty percent of what Spencer says…" she remarked with a bemused smile.

"He's an adult now, let him be just for once."

"Sixteen years old is hardly an adult."

"Coordinators are adults at sixteen." He stated with a tinge of impatience.

"Do you think Dearka Elthman is an adult? Now?"

Mwu considered the question and after a while he shrugged and smiled, "Nope."

"There you have it. Having superior genes doesn't make growing up any easier. But that's why I'm worried. I am scared Mwu, scared."

"Why?"

"What if he takes after Talia's footsteps, what if he dies the same way?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just received notification, that Zaft is calling him back to active service, he'll be assigned a unit, a MS, frontline."

"A unit." He tested the word as he blinked, "There's no war going on. What frontline?"

"There's going to be if he doesn't accomplish his mission in time."

"What's his mission?"

Murrue studied Mwu for a time as she took a long sigh, and gazed straight into his blue eyes as she whispered, "Athrun has been kidnapped, along with Marlene."

"WHA…! The Zaft kid?"

Murrue laughed a bit, "Yes the Zaft kid, though I don't really think you should call him that now…Spencer is supposed to accompany Yzak with six new ships to go look, hunt down an EAF ship that's allegedly carrying Athrun and Marlene."

"Six versus one! He'll show them what he's made of!"

"I would like that to happen too, but I just have the feeling that…there is more than meets the eye." Mwu remained silent as he held his breath, motioning for Murrue to continue. "The whole affair feels…somewhat…synchronized." She chose her words carefully and deliberately, "I feel as if there is something…or some one pulling the strings, orchestrating the whole thing. Elections in PLANTs, These labs we checked out scattered across space that seemed to be once active, union between Orb and PLANTs, kidnapping…it seemed too syncopated to be a mere coincidence. It's a trap."

Mwu cringed visibly at her strong use of words, and felt that she was being too paranoid. "Murrue, you think too much."

"Perhaps." she replied as she sighed, "It's up to Spencer now anyway…"

---

The image of the laboratory swirled and danced before him, and he took one hesitant step after another. Asking_…Mwu…Uncle Mwu?_

_Isn't Mwu supposed to be with him on this mission, isn't he right beside him till just now?_

They were so close to one of the most important discoveries in their space endeavor and now Mwu's gone missing. It's just unnervingly weird… The place is weird, and encompassed by this deadly silence. Not just space kind of silence, but the eerie kind that that sent shivers up Spencer's spine; it caused all his hair to stand on end and chills him to the bone. Like a premonition, or a prophecy, that something dreadful is about to happen…If he was never afraid of anything, he is now. He was frightened of the comforting darkness that threatened to engulf his senses, coaxing him to come, to become one with it so that he will fear no more. He was even more afraid to stay rooted to the spot, for it would show his fear and caused his imminent defeat, allowing the darkness to devour him…

_Uncle Mwu…!_

Spencer Gladys walked on, venturing into the darkness beyond where he was standing only to find more darkness. Swirling like a large pot of hot chocolate, it greeted him warmly and invited him to come. He shunned the contact and walked faster, feeling his breathing speed up as he called again, _Uncle Mwu!_

He had no idea where he was going, nor where did he come from, but it didn't matter to him as he ran on. He only wanted to escape, he only wanted a safe place to hide, a place he can call a refuge. A place where people he loved will shield him, and in turn, he will protect them with all of his might. He didn't want anyone to die anymore…like his mother…

The last time he saw his mother was on TV seven years ago. He was in the school hall with his class, when they watched Zaft's defeat. In front of his very eyes, Messiah blow up, allegedly killing Talia Gladys, his mother, his only kin… they only thing that mattered to him in the world. But Spencer never believed it that she's gone, some part of him just hung on to her, latch on to her memory like a leech and refused to register the fact that she's really dead...

Shortly after he was sent to PLANTs orphanage, when Murrue Ramius and Mwu La Fllaga came into his life, and said they wanted to adopt him… She said she was his mother's friend, and wanted to take care of him. He took up the offer because he didn't seem to have a better choice. He was nine and hardly able to take care of himself even though sometimes he wanted to know… That after living with them for so long, did they choose to stay with him out of duty, or did they truly care for him now? He never asked for he was afraid of the answer, afraid that he'll be alone in the world again…

_Then he met the two people who are witnesses to his mother's death… _

General Yamato and Chairman Zala saw Talia Gladys die, and when they described the scene to Spencer, he could tell it was indeed mother's style of doing things, and he can finally believe. He could finally believe that his mother is gone…Both of them became his mentors, his friends…and he respected the two leadership figures deeply. He admired them for their spirit, and made it his goal to accomplish what Chairman Zala asked of him when he decided to join Zaft…

_I'm sorry for what happened to your mother, it is because of the selfish desire of people that all this happened. The war, Requiem, Neo-Genesis, Chairman Dulliandal, Captain Gladys…All this need not happen again, and Spencer, you have the choice now… You can prevent it; you can choose to protect the ones you want to protect… Choose wisely._

He opened his eyes as another voice whispered into his ear, _No you can't… _

Spencer screamed as he felt something grab his ankles, and he looked down to find a pair of hands that rose from the depths clamped around his legs, clawing at his thighs. His feet began to sink into the abyss, as if the ground beneath his has suddenly turned into quicksand. More hands emerged as he began to struggle and thrashed with all his might; fighting against the hands that fastened themselves insistently around his wrist and torso, dragging him downwards. He screamed again at the renewed assault, kicking to get himself free. But the more he struggled, the faster he sank. And when he was buried to his chest, everything went still. The hands vanished as wisps of smelly smoke and the ground stopped trying to eat him. Just as he thought his nightmare was over the ground directly in front of his face started to churn violently, steaming and bubbling like a large vessel of boiling mud. Emitting a strong odour, pungent and astringent to his senses. Then all of a sudden, something rose from the liquid solidifying in front of him. The image took form slowly, first Spencer saw it was a face, one beautiful with gentle sandy brown eyes, _it was his mother's eyes…_ Just as Spencer opened his mouth to address his mother, the face suddenly collapsed inwards, as if smashed by an unseen sledge hammer. Causing blood and brain matter to fly in all direction, and Spencer gasped as yellowish liquid flew into his eye. Panicking, he desperately tried to wipe the liquid off, only finding that it had blinded him. And as this instant, a pair of strong hands cupped his face forcibly and turned his head to look at him…or it.

Spencer's eyes widened as he stared at the horrible picture painted before his face, he was being forced to look at a human head, and instinctively he knew it was that it was the head of his deceased comrade. For he couldn't help but to remember it ever so vividly, it was so disfigured that Spencer would have puked if he ate anything. The head had been apparently smashed, bits of marred tissue stick out on pieces of bones. A ruptured eyeball rested on the twisted remnants of what had previously been the cheek bone. Pieces of teeth lay on the severed tongue and the contour of what would have been the brain stem. Blood and pus were oozing out from an eye socket which was still apparently intact… and suddenly the skull gave an unearthly shudder and a high pitch scream that sent goose bumps crawling all over his skin. The eyeball with the socket rolled around till it focused on Spencer, and in a hoarse and disheveled voice it whispered…

_Zala will be next…_

_**NOOOO! **_

"NOOO!" Spencer screamed as he jumped up from the bed…

---

As Kira stood at the observatory deck of the ship yard, looking at the new ship that is supposed to go 'Athrun-hunting' (In Yzak's snap-shot terms…), he thought about what Lacus said to him when they parted earlier.

"_Kira…" Lacus Clyne whispered, "Be careful…"_

He remembered vividly the gentle words and the softness of her lips on his cheek. But what troubled him was the way she said the sentence, Lacus was someone who couldn't hide her concerns. She has a strong instinct about things and told Kira that she had been asked by Mr Amarfi to remain behind in PLANTs to temporary take over Yzak's duties, and that she feels as if 'Kira's never coming back to her side…'.

Kira shrugged it off, looking out at the ship.

It was a new class of ships developed by Zaft known as the _Mobius_ class. She was a new ship that hasn't gone out into the field before, she looked like the _Eternal_, only sleeker and more streamline. She is a mix of white and blue and one look at her any one could tell she's made for speed. She's the kind of ship Athrun favours, one pretty yet dangerous, kinda like a black widow spider. Rumour has it that it was the luxury cruiser belonging to the Chairman, but the captain allowed Yzak to 'borrow' it. In any case, the preparations are complete and it will leave tomorrow in time to hunt down two ships that's suspected to carry Athrun and Marlene on board. Both are EAF registered crafts which are already docking in PLANTs when Athrun was taken, and both were searched thoroughly but Lacus pointed out that they may hide Athrun elsewhere before taking him onto the ship. And it just isn't right to open fire at a ship in your own ship dock. So the best plan will be to intercept and destroy…

_Straight-forward is the way Yzak likes it._

He almost laughed at this point as he opened the door to his assigned guest room, he knew friends all across the galaxy and they hardly keep in touch with each other. But now he will be meeting most of them and well, crashing in on the same space ship for the next four days or so. It was odd how one event could bring them together. Athrun could defend himself well enough, and was probably of immense value to the kidnappers, so the problem is Marlene. In Kira's point of view, she's a little girl who got onto the wrong side of politics, however unwillingly…

He sighed, Lacus's concerns coming back to him, but he knew that there was no way to justify his worries. Maybe he should just think like Yzak, who has a four step plan to be completed within a week.

_Find Kidnappers, kill kidnappers, find Athrun, kill him as well, mission accomplished!_

He took off his uniform and lay on the pillow, pulling the blanket over himself. It was weird having to sleep without the warmth of the songstress beside him, and he knew that the next week ahead will be a lonely one…and he closed his eyes, wondering why he was more sleepy than usual. His mind was drifting off and refusing to focus, it didn't matter to him, he just allowed himself to do so…

When the intruder heard that Kira Yamato was breathing deeply, he crushed the remaining incense in his gloved hands and went into action…

---

End. Athrun, Kira, Spencer…when will these three meet? On to chapter next…


	5. Chapter 5:Off Set

Chapter Five: Off set

**_"I believe," she replied as she lifted and placed the little boy on her lap. "now great old Maximillion, tell me where your sister is…"Cagalli Yula Athha_**

_In the launching chute, Mwu couldn't resist but give the kid a pat on the back as he said, "You gotta watch yourself from now on kid, I have instructions from Murrue." _

_Spencer perked up as he leaned eagerly over the side of the MA cockpit, "Yea…?"_

"_Don't get onto the wrong side of Yzak Jule, he's rather unstable."_

"_Why?"_

"_You would be too if your wife was pregnant." It was a guess, but Spencer laughed, indicating he understood. He was never quite fond of being near the silver-hair Spreme Councilor, first because he was his superior and second his luxuriant silver hair always made Spencer ask himself if he was still on earth._

"_Second, go pick up a few girls while you are on your way, six ships can contain plenty of females…"_

"_That's auntie Murrue's instruction to me…?" Spencer asked skeptically, his eyebrows raised._

"_Nope, that's mine." Mwu confessed, "Third, take care of yourself."_

"…_You're saying it as if I can't. Uncle Mwu, I'm a Coordinator, I'm an adult now! "_

"_Right you are, but you must realize that it is our job to worry. You go out there and trash those bad asses while we worry for you from the other side of the moon, got it?"_

"_Loud and clear." Spencer agreed as he slipped on his helmet and fastened it, then laid his hands on the steering column. "Before I forget, she asked you to pass this to the Corona's head mechanic." And Mwu handed Spencer the log book and a CD-rom. Spencer took them almost reluctantly. Mwu understood, and sighed dramatically as he said, "…And Spencer…"_

"_Yes, uncle Mwu?"_

"_Come home safely…"_

_Spencer didn't hesitate as he promised, "Okay."_

"_You better keep your promise then."_

"…_Auntie Murrue!" Spencer gasped as Murrue floated forward and gently embraced him._

Spencer Gladys handed over the log book to the dignified-looking old man standing before him, "Dr, Sas…Aunt…I mean the captain of the Archangel asked me to hand this to you…"

With one wrinkled hand he took over the item and regarded Spencer with a side glance, "You're in for a rough ride…"

"Why do you say that?" Spencer questioned, his curiosity piqued.

Doctor Sas, didn't reply, he merely pointed at the man at the other side of the room, one with raven hair and blood red eyes…

---

Maximillion gazed into Cagalli's eyes, "Sister Cagalli…?"

"Hmm…" she replied absentmindedly, not quite caring if the sky fell down and squashed her. They were in the observatory of the Fenrir, and they were in space.

"I'm bored." He sighed as he laid his head on her lap, "There's no TV, no twucks, and none of big brother Athrun's toys…"

That statement brought an unexpected sting to her eyes. Over the years, Athrun continued making little interesting gadgets for them as presents. And those seemingly insignificant gimmicks had made Marlene and Maximillion both very creative in that aspect. And during Christmas they would fondly refer to Athrun as their very own 'skinnier version of Santa Claus' in front of their classmates

_And she? Mrs Claus. _

"Are you tired? Are you sick?" Maximillion questioned relentlessly.

"Well…Yes and no."

"You don't have to worry about my little sister…She's alright!"

"How are you so sure?" Cagalli asked with a small bemused smile. Looking at Maximillion and began stroking his soft golden fringe.

"I…don't know." He stuttered, "I can just feel her, fuzzy and warm. Inside, I know where she is and what she doing…"

"Right…" she teased, "And I'm supposed to believe you."

"Don't you?" he answered, giving her a smile in striking resemblance to the Chesshire Cat in the bedtime story she once read to him.

"I believe," she replied as she lifted and placed the little boy on her lap. "now great old Maximillion, tell me where your sister is…"

Without hesitation, Max smiled and lifted a finger. Cagalli allowed her gaze to follow where he was pointing, and sighed in disappointment. Max was pointing at Aprilius, where he last saw Marlene…

---

Supreme Councilor Elthman was in good spirits, and Ezaria Jule could tell, she even knew why. The two of them sat opposite each other in the office, for once having the luxury of something called an 'afternoon tea'. Time to sit together and sip the cup of Earl grey without interruption.

Just as the both of them thought nothing could get better, a green uniform soldier entered and gingerly announced, "He's here."

Even if it were just those three words, Ezaria could tell that Elthman was -oddly enough-thoroughly pleased with the interruption. Supreme Councilor Elthman smiled as he stood up, as if congratulating the man in front of him, "Well done. I trust that he was of no trouble…"

"Of, of course not sir." He replied hurriedly, "Shall I bring him in?"

"Yes, now."

---

_"Now where is that woman!" Yzak fumed as he paced around the captain's seat, "The damn ships are gonna depart in what...five minutes and she's not here yet! And some reporter, goodness!"_

_"...It's strictly not Luna's fault that the council is trying to spy on you, Mr Jule." Shinn said quietly._

_"Shuddup! Invalid..." Yzak snapped irritably.  
"Cool it a little." Dearka said wryly, attempting to stop the usual argument from breaking out among the two idiots. "Insulting his girlfriend wouldn't make her come back any faster..." he pointed out and Shinn glared at him mercilessly. _

_Just as an argument was about to break out within the three idiots this time, Maximillion gazed up from the floor and wondered why are adult Coordinators all so snappy. At this moment, the door slipped open with a pneumatic hiss and admitted a flustered Kira, Luna and another red head which made Dearka's jaw dropped, Shinn and Yzak forgot about their little vendetta for the moment and gaped at the woman. Maximillion smiled most characteristically._

_Standing beside Luna and Kira was no ordinary reporter, she sensed the party's discomfort and reacted with a small confident smile, "Hi, everyone."_

"_Uh…Hi." Dearka was the first to respond to her greeting._

"_It's you…" Shinn exclaimed, half ashamed at just staring like an idiot for the past minute. "You're assigned by the council to spy on us!"_

_She gave a small cough, indicating her impatience and her take on the matter, "I wasn't assigned, I **asked** to be here. It was actually Linda's job but I snatched it from her…"_

"_Linda…?" Yzak demanded, feeling his tempers flare, "LINDA LACEY!"_

"_The woman with a big mouth and pours slanders about anyone she didn't like and is rumoured to be desperately in love with Athrun?" Dearka concurred. _

"_Yup, her." Meyrin confirmed, "She bulldozed her way to the editor's office to be first for the job but my little wit prevailed." She boasted with unmistakable pride._

"_How'd you do that with slanders being poured all over you on national TV?" Luna asked incredulously for the first time._

_Meyrin winked most uncharacteristically, "…trade secret."_

"_Before this reunion proceeds on to intolerable levels of stupidity, I suggest we leave to kill those kidnappers before they kill Athrun…" Yzak interrupted through gritted teeth. _

"_Agreed." Everyone said unanimously as Dearka flashed Yzak a quick smile. _

Shinn thought and wondered if he had done the right thing in choosing to come along. Seeing Lunamaria and having a week-long cruise on her ship was a bit of a spin-off bonus, but with so many complications running all over the place even just hanging around the ship was plain grueling. The ladies, always noisy, ever chatty. Yzak is always pissed looking and a put-off to anyone who even dares look at him in the face. Dearka's busy coming up with a strategy to best grab Athrun back while Kira has gone pretty much quiet after Athrun was taken. Max adheres to Cagalli like super glue and Shinn's injury is hurting. Just when he thought things simply can't get any worst something just had to disappoint him. The entry of this Spencer Gladys character, a young sixteen year old newbie who has never sat on a mobile suit in life-practice before. And Shinn is supposed to be his trainer, just because Lunamaria absolutely refused to let him launch in his condition…

"Nube." Shinn muttered crossly as he took one glance at the score registered on the top left hand of the screen. Spencer turned and threw a dirty look at him for his unconstructive comment. Shinn was unrepentant, "Hey, kid." He sneered, "In twelve hours we are gonna meet up with these ships that are allegedly carrying Athrun Zala. You're not gonna face them like this! If you insist on producing scores like this I'll have to take you off the mission."

"What…, BUT Instructor Asuka…?" Spencer muttered though clenched teeth, biting down hard on the instructor part.

"Do you want to be part of this operation or not!" He demanded.

"Of course I do!"

"Then show me!"

---

"Uh…" Athrun Zala groaned, barely conscious.

_It was dark, dark in the way of a thunderstorm at night. Athrun could only watch helplessly as he saw his friend being tortured right before his eyes. He struggled against the bonds around his wrist and winched as the harsh rope bit deeper in, and warm liquid began flowing down his palms and drained off his fingertips._

_Someone screamed…_

_He turned to his captor, pleading, "STOP IT! Please…"_

_His captor only smiled, the small sinister kind that told him the deed has just began. Athrun watched in horror as his friend fell to the ground, totally out cold after what had been done to him. _

_His captor turned now, glaring menacingly at him with eyes colder than ice; he advanced towards Athrun as he whispered, "You're next…"_

_And in a shrill, disembodied voice, someone screamed… he wasn't sure whether the voice belonged to him…_

"…I'm sorry…"

"Chairman Zala…"

"I…"

"Chairman Zala."

"Huh…?"

"Chairman Zala!"

His eyes flicked open, he was panting hard as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. Some one laid a firm, assuring hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. Calling out to him, "Chairman Zala, you're awake."

The voice was awfully familiar and as his eyes adjusted, he could see the face before him was none other than Dearka's father. He jerked up with a start, realizing he's back in Aprilius, in the military base. And his wrist were no longer tied together, but wrapped up by white bandages.

"Mr Elthman…?" he uttered shakily, resting a hand on his throbbing temples, "Wha…why am I here…?" Athrun shook his head before his eyes widened suddenly, "We have to send someone to look for that man!"

"What man?"

"Where's Marlene, did you rescue her! Is she safe?"

"Chairman Zala, you have to calm down! Of course the little envoy is safe, so are you." He added.

"I was kidnapped...!" Athrun replied in exasperation.

Supreme Councilor was shocked, "Good heavens, you must be imagining things! You must really be tired…"

"I'm not tired!" he yelled as he snatched a gun from the guards near by, and he pulled Mr Elthman by the collar as he pointed the gun at his head. "Don't lie to me…" he sneered, saying those words through clenched teeth, indicating that he was on the end of the rope.

Supreme Councilor Elthman was cursing inwardly, _obviously he hasn't been doped with enough amnesiac…_

Externally, he recovered quickly enough, once again putting on the reassuring smile as he slowly but firmly eased Athrun's hand away from his collar, "I was just trying to make you relax…Of course we sent someone to investigate." and with that he quickly took hold of Athrun's right hand and twisted viciously.

The gun dropped to the ground with a thud and Athrun could only stop himself from screaming. He backed away instinctively, holding his injured wrist and biting his lips. His mind was wheeling, _Mr Elthman shouldn't know about his injury, unless…_

"…You're involved…" Athrun whispered in disbelief, "You planned all this…!"

"Bingo." He replied as he leered down on Athrun, his smile widening by a fraction of a centimeter as he kicked the gun out of Athrun's reach.

"Why…WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!" Athrun shouted, shaking with suppressed anger. A powerful monster seemed to have awakened in him, wanting nothing more than to lash out and kill the man in front of him with his bare hands. Athrun barely had a rein on that power, but he kept it in check. He was observing his surroundings, twelve guards…all armed, but just twelve…

"Cause I hate you." Mr Elthman sneered as he clamped about Athrun's jaw, forcing Athrun to look at him in the eye. "I hate your mindless psycho-babble about lovey-dovey Naturals and half bloods! I hate you for poisoning the minds of the younger generation with the same pea-brain ideas. I hate you for destroying what Patrick and I had built up over the past twenty years!" He came nearer to Athrun and bared his teeth like an angered lion as he snarled, "You foiled our plans by siding with those bloody rebels at Jarkin Due, the same happened at moon base…If it wasn't for you meddling we would have won, and Patrick…Patrick wouldn't have died!" With that he slapped Athrun, who could only stare at the ground in surprise as Mr Elthman pulled Athrun's hair and forced him to look at him again as he said through gritted teeth, "...If I was Patrick I would be so ashamed of you...!"

He stopped abruptly, the look in Athrun's eyes had changed, and he knew he had touched a nerve; Athrun's brilliant green eyes seemed to be goring right through him with a piercing glare, his gaze sending a chill up Mr Elthman's spine; who backed away involuntarily, feeling as if the injured Chairman was a lot more dangerous than he thought. He was a man at the end of the rope and would do just about anything to survive...

In a soft, weak but commanding voice Athrun warned, "Don't touch me…"

_Things are not looking good…so it's time to take out to trump card…_

As the smile returned to his face, Supreme Councilor Elthman clapped his hands twice, and a guard entered with a little neat bundle in his grip, the little bundle was sleeping…

"…Marlene…!" Athrun called in relief, snapping out of the trance he allowed himself to slip into to invoke the power when the most unexpected punch landed hard on his face. He fell to his side…But before he had time to recover, another swift blow was delivered to his temples. This time it was Mr Elthman grinding Athrun's head under his leather shoes…"You dare retaliate...I'll kill the girl."

He was thoroughly enjoying the sweetness of revenge as he leered down at Athrun; his face deformed by a twisted smile. "Not so cocky now are you? The 'legendary', youngest Chairman of PLANTs squashed under my foot, you're nothing but a bug!" He enuciated every word clearly and even spat into Athrun's face as he lifted his foot and kicked Athrun in the stomach. The blow was unexpectedly hard and drove out the air from his lungs.

"A WORM!" he shouted, as he kicked Athrun again and again, giving Athrun no time to recover. "YOU'RE JUST A WORM!" Athrun didn't reply, he couldn't; he had curled up and tried to shun the blows of the raving man, but it was no good. Mr Elthman had gone out of control and was staring at him with those blood-shot eyes and meaning every word he says. And futhermore, if he retaliated, Mr Elthman might vent his anger on Marlene instead... Athrun Zala clenched his fist, bringing every bit of self control he has into play and continued enduring the abuse. He had never felt so humiliated in his whole life, not since Dearka played a particularly unpleasant prank on him in military school.

_Ah...like father like son..._

"…A worthless, useless piece of CRAP!" Mr Elthman finally stopped when he was panting hard, allowing Athrun time to catch his breath; he coughed, feeling his guts wrench as he did so and tasted blood in his mouth.

He was panting as hard as the older man, and couldn't seem to get up. He coughed a few more times, trying to clear the ferrous liquid from his throat. Athrun then turned to glare reproachfully at him. Obviously Mr Elthman saw it as him playing punk and swiftly, an unforgiving sole landed hard on his cheek.

"Any sudden movement…and I'll kill the girl…… I heard you are pretty attached to the sweet little one here…" He uttered absentmindedly as he turned to stroke the girls' smooth face.

"Don't hurt Marlene…" Athrun warned, slowly crawling to his feet.

"Oh…I won't, not when I can hurt you…" The smile returned as he spun around to look at Athrun. Slowly, he lifted his foot, and ordered Athrun, "Stand up and face me like a man."

Slowly, Athrun pushed himself to his feet unsteadily, his whole person hurting as he did so, but his gaze never left the man and the girl.

"I have something installed for your amusement…Chairman Zala. Act two is just starting…"

---

Ah, playing with fire has its consequences.


	6. Chapter 6:His decision

Chapter Six: His choice

"_**What have we done…?"Yzak Jule**_

Lacus Clyne woke up quickly. Her blue eyes flicked open, and she found herself staring at the ceiling of the guest room in Amarfi's mansion, her eyes wide with fear. She sat up slowly, testing if she was indeed awake as cold sweat trailed down her temples; the contents of the nightmare haunted her still. The only odd thing is that she couldn't really recall the contents for the life of her. The one thing she knew was that she was afraid. She was afraid for something she cannot contemplate.

She remembered Kira was in it, and he was in some sort of trouble, but he refused to speak of it.

_In the dream, he held her hands, looking deeply and gently into her eyes. And then he left wordlessly. No matter how Lacus tried to call him back, he refused to turn, he refused to look back. And when Lacus tried to chase after him, the distance between them grew greater with every single step till he was gone. Leaving Lacus feeling dejected and forsaken…_

Someone knocked the door and called her, causing her to snap out of her trance. "Miss Clyne. Are you awake?"

"Yes." She answered hurriedly as she pulled back the hair sticking to her face, trying to calm herself.

"Good morning then, master wants me to inform you that breakfast is ready."

"I'll be right there."

She listened until the servant had gone before she got off the bed shakily; something inside her was telling her that it wasn't merely a dream, something's terribly wrong…

_Something terrible has happened to Kira…_

---

"Look at this, Yzak!" Kira Yamato's voice sounded over the communications. Yzak Jule, ran forward with Dearka in his wake, he squinted at the data that Kira just sent him.

It was an image of a several man, a door and a handcuff. The handcuff was bounded to the hands of the tall, slender guy in the middle, and apparently he was being escorted by these men through the door, the men were dressed in unmistakably, the EA uniform…

"This footage came from the ships we were observing, the Canine and Wolfstag…That means…"

"We've got all the proof we need." Yzak finished with a smile as the guy in the middle struggled and turned back momentarily, saying something inaudible under his breath.

Dearka gasped audibly, "Holy cow…it IS him!"

"We still don't know which ship he is on!" Kira protested.

"No issue, we can arrest them for kidnap, abuse and political crime against a sovereign state all at the same time, perfect." Dearka retorted as he allowed himself a small punch of triumph, "We'll show them what we're made of! Yeah…"

Yzak smiled a little, knowing that quick fixes and high adrenaline levels are probably a dangerous mix, but he liked it all the same. "He's right, we have legitimate rights to attack."

Kira hesiatated for a while longer, knowing Yzak probably right. Kira spoke, telling him, "The signal came from the general direction of the Wolfstag anyway. We should let Lacus know…"

"Reporting to your wife eh?…that's probably a good idea." Dearka replied.

Yzak thought for a bit before turning towards the screen with Kira's face on it. "You're on the Fenrir, right? Hunt down the Canine, don't kill anyone, we'll destroy the Wolfstag." Kira nodded, and he cut off the line. Dearka was already on the line with Spencer Gladys, "Hey, kid, did you hear that? We're launching!"

Cagalli exhaled slowly, turning to Kira as she uttered, "Confrontation with the Canine…"

"Don't you think of launching!" Kira replied immediately.

"…But Athrun's …Athrun's there!"

"I know he's there, that's why you can't go! You're a diplomat, diplomats don't fight. Furthermore if they have taken Marlene and Athrun, what makes you think you're safe? Athrun wouldn't want you hurt." He looked into Cagalli's eyes pleadingly, as if willing for her to understand. She did, she knew he was right as usual, but that didn't quench her need to rescue Athrun and Marlene from those kidnapping monsters.

"But Athrun…" she began to protest.

"Athrun wouldn't want you to get hurt." He insisted, interrupting her sentence. "How about this, I'll launch. I'll go have a word with the captain of that ship. Convince him to let me tour his ship. And, erm…bust Athrun out if he's being held captive."

"'You' in reference to?" she asked skeptically, her eyebrows raised.

"I, me and myself?" He said uncertainly, as if not sure what she meant.

"You're going alone?!" She demanded, understanding suddenly dawning on her. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it will be? What if he decides you're a pain and shoot you down when they have the chance? What if you become the one who has to be rescued!"

"I'm good at protecting myself." He replied with a small smile, "In any case, you're not going."

"Who are you to order me around?!" She demanded.

"Your big brother…" he said with a grin.

Cagalli could only glare.

---

The door slid shut with a pneumatic hiss behind Athrun. He was left alone in a small dark, barren room, empty and deserted apart from a panel that rested on one wall. It was flashing with two virtual buttons, comically coloured like the trip wires of a bomb.

He massaged his bandaged wrists, trying to get the circulation back into the limbs. He had been brought to the infirmary by several EAF soldiers (He wondered if their uniform were stolen), he got his wounds treated and cleaned up, then he was given a new set of uniform to change into…It was all pretty weird and puzzling.

"What games are you playing now, Elthman?"

The older man's voice sounded overhead, and echoed round the contained space. He was chuckling, and his voice laced with thick mockery as he replied almost fondly, "You must have read my mind, I do feel like playing with you!"

Athrun rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the sarcasm. He didn't find the situation one bit amusing, unlike the Supreme Councilor.

"I should have removed you from office when I had the chance…" He tittered deliberately, which expectantly, only added to the triumph of the gloating man.

"Which you didn't…" Mr Elthman pointed out gleefully, "because you were dense enough to think you can control me like a puppet…Just like little Jule."

"Control Yzak?" Athrun played with the idea, "I would like to see you try."

It took a moment for the insult to sink in, but if Mr Elthman was angry he concealed it very well. "Let's see who has the last laugh…You get to choose…" His voice was low and dangerous, and the hairs on the back of Athrun's neck tingled. He knew the feeling; Mr Elthman had meant what he said…

---

"I'm gone!" As Dearka yelled, "Eat my dust, boy! Dearka Elthman, Zaku Phantom, launch off!" And Spencer swallowed as he watched Dearka catapult into space effortlessly.

"Boy, deep breaths. Concentrate on the fact that we are to rescue the Chairman." Belle instructed over the intercom as Spencer moved his suit forward to position on the launch pad, "We all have first times and it's not that bad."

"Deep breaths…Mr Zala, yes." Spencer Gladys muttered as he did as he was told, trying to slow down his palpating heart, his sweaty hands tightened over the start-up. "…How was your first time like?"

"Erm…" she shifted uncomfortably, "Can't really remember…"

That reply made him more nervous, "Why?!"

"I knocked my head and fainted and had to be rescued by my superior…"

"Oh."

"WILL YOU TWO STOP BANTERING AND LAUNCH!" Bethany shouted over the rush of space static. "We're running on tight schedule here, Mr Jule says he wants to be home for the weekend!"

"Roger!" Belle replied hurriedly as she bit back a laugh, "Belle Bellebane, Zaku phantom, launch off!"

Spencer followed suit, "Spencer Gladys, Zaku Phantom, launch off!" For a split second nothing happened, then everything moved like a fast forward. He moved forward at high speed and was accelerating, and he was literally jammed into the pilot's sit by the sheer back thrust of the momentum. He fought draw breath into his lungs and he adjusted the suit, positioning it for the last minute leaping motion. The opening of the chute came nearer and nearer, like the light at the end of the tunnel. His readjusted his hands over the controls and noticed that his fingers are almost numb.

_Fingers, don't fail me now. Just a little bit more…_

The motion ended just as abruptly as it began as suddenly he felt weightlessness take over. The suit was off the chute, it was free. Spencer felt his heart swell with joy as he congratulated himself for surviving the launch off. He propelled the suit forward and tested out it's motor functions in space. He felt powerful, if he wanted, he would have dance like a ballerina. Shinn didn't give him time, and seemed to read his thoughts as he ordered over the communications, "Hey kid, no time to start dancing! You want your precious Chairman mauled in the meantime!"

Spencer laughed weakly, "Roger." And followed the rest and started shooting.

---

Lacus Clyne was in the meeting room with the rest of the council, discussing how to resume the momentum of the treaty when her phone vibrated unexpectedly. Taking it out of the pouch, she was surprised to receive a video file from Kira. Written beneath it was a little message which goes, 'This was sent to us ten minutes ago, we're attacking the Wolfstag. PS. Will be back by the end of the week.'

She smiled in relief as she played the file and her eyes widened as she watched the footage Kira sent to her, and instantly understood their decision. The uniforms were enough proof that Athrun had indeed been taken by EAF, but her instinct told her otherwise…

She knew something wasn't right with the situation, something that none of them had foreseen. It was something that she couldn't put her finger to…She repalyed the video over and over again, just to make sure she didn't miss anything. On the seventh try she struck jackpot, as Athrun turned back and muttered something for the seventh time, she stared at his lips. Being an expert in body gestures, she shouldn't have missed it at all. Athrun probably guessed that suddenly being escorted by EAF dressed officers was part of a bigger conspiracy. In the video, he used it to his benefit to send out a distress signal.

And as if he knew Lacus would be the one watching, he said…

_I'm in Aprilius…_

The revelation sent a chill up her spine, she knew something was wrong…

---

In space several hundred kilometers from PLANTs, Spencer Gladys smiled smugly as he pointed the beam rifle at the bridge of the severely damaged vessel. He had done it, only Belle, Bethany, Dearka and one rouge pilot, and they have beaten one entire platoon of EAF MS into submission. Blew out the engines and left the ship with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide; and obviously with absolutely no choice but to surrender. Kira Yamato, by some means, had managed to get himself aboard the Canine to negotiate a search.

He demanded into the intercom, "Where's the captain!?"

A rush of static was heard, followed by a low, controlled and gruff voice. "Captain of the Wolfstag, General Silas Ferric speaking. I request to know why your party suddenly launched an attack on my ship?"

"Don't give me that rubbish!" Spencer snapped, blood rushing to his face due to the effects of adrenaline; tightening around the trigger of the beam rifle, "Hand over the Chairman!"

Yzak warned Spencer curtly over the intercom, "Don't shoot."

"What Chairman!" The man asked incredulously as he considered the demand, "Surely you don't suppose Chairman Zala is on my ship?"

"Officer Belle Bellebane here, direct surbordinate of Chairman Athrun Zala. If you allow us to search your ship now we shall have no reason to press any charges against you." Belle spoke up now, her voice firm but gentle.

"I cannot allow that, for an enemy who just launched an anonymous attack against us to board our ship at will!" He protested.

"Then prove that the Chairman is not on your ship." Bethany demanded.

"I already Said that YOUR BLOODY CHAIRMAN Is NOT on my ship! Now GO BACK TO PLANTs, YOU mindless CURS!"

That did it, Spencer was in the act of firing when the side screen suddenly crackled to life, indicating it was a broadcast transmission from PLANTs. Spencer's blood ran cold as he realized it was Lacus Clyne yelling in a shrill voice, _"NO…!"_

---

_The game is starting……_

The voice had changed, it was undoubtedly still Mr Elthman.

_The change was to mask his identity_…

Athrun immediately suspect that there was more than meets the eye. He had to be extra careful about what he did and said.

_Step forward…right in front of the panel_

Athrun did as he was instructed, coming to stand still in front of the altar-like structure.

---

Lacus Clyne watched the broadcast, her hands numb and her heart sinking. Mr Elthman barged into the room now, muttering, "I'm late, what did I miss?" No one was paying any attention to him except Lacus. Whose suspicion was denounced almost immediately.

_If Mr Elthman was here, who's the one threatening Athrun? He can't possibly be in two places at once!_

On screen, Athrun just stared at the contraption blankly, as if sensing that the final countdown was coming.

---

Cagalli was fuming in the docking bay with the mechanics on standby, she was told to launch only if Kira's peaceful negotiations for a search warrant did not succeed. And apparently he did. She held her breath as she watched Athrun's predicament with Max around her thigh, his little fist gripping her pants.

_Step forward, right in front of the panel. _

Athrun did so calmly, the expression on his face unreadable.

_Now…if I told you I've planted two bombs round the corner. Your consent will activate them, the detonator has already been encoded to your voice patterns." _Athrun swallowed the lump in his throat_, "The first one…is in the gravitational core of Janurius._

Athrun's eyes widened.

_The second one…in your Marlene Yula Athha's room. _

Cagalli inhaled sharply…

_Which one will you choose?_

Cagalli's clenched her fist, knowing the threat was real and prominent and hating herself for it…

_---_

Mrs Hawke was walking past the large TV screen in central square, and she stood petrified to the spot because their Chariman was making a real historical decision on all screens, and he doesn't seem to know that anyone is watching. And of course he doesn't know that Mr Hawke was on Janurius for a business trip.

---

Murrue Ramius was watching the situation with Mwu as they passed by the PLANTs, and gaped at the situation, how can one kidnap go so wrong? It meant that Spencer and gang must have been unable to rescue Athrun in time. And there are consequences that Athrun will bear alone, like this one. Deep inside, she knew that no matter what he chose, the world will not be the same as it was yesterday.

She pondered within her heart that if she was faced with the same choice, will she be able to make that same decision.

_Will she be able to kill Spencer with her own two hands?_

The pain alone was unimaginable…

---

Athrun Zala swallowed hard, not daring to breath for Mr Elthman knew perfectly what he was talking about. _He must know about Cagalli and Max too…_That would potentially mean that they were in danger as well. It wasn't a bluff, the bombs too, were real. He knew he was being cornered instantly, the notion in itself more suffocating than the little dark room. He was trapped in more ways than one…

"Despicable…" he uttered through clenched teeth.

_Call it what you want…Now, what would be your choice? Option one, kill off all the citizens on Janurius, option two, kill your precious little one. Which one will it be?_

---

Spencer Gladys stared at the third screen in disbelief as Athrun Zala deliberated. It was an obvious choice, but Athrun Zala didn't take it immediately.

_Oh, by the way. I'm growing tired of this little game, you have one minute to decide…before both bombs detonate. _

_---_

Shiho, Shinn, Luna and Yzak watched the demise of the Wolfstag and Athrun's hesitation from the main screen of the Corona, and Yzak stiffened visibly.

_It's a trap…_

_The signals that apparently came from the Wolfstag were just a decoy. The computers must have misread the signals and led to this._ The implications came crashing down on him like a thousand tons of shattered glass.

_What have we done…?_

No matter what happens today, the situation is going to turn ugly, and he suddenly realized that he had been stupidly playing into the council's hands all this while. There was a need for him to volunteer for the rescue mission.

_He was the scapegoat… _

The attack on EAF registered ships unannounced and unchallenged was proof enough to start a war. And the blame will rest on him and him alone. At least he had to keep it that way. Though Spencer Gladys's rashness had a part to play as well, he was just a boy.

He gazed at Luna and Shinn, who were equally dumb-founded by the images shown on screen; by the thousand and one things that seem to be happening all around them. The two of them had been pretty much dragged into this, Lunamaria was the captain of this vessel, and Shinn volunteered.

"Yzak?" Shiho asked meekly, sensing his discomfort. Shinn Asuka turned to look at Yzak in the eye as well, "…What do you think he will do?"

"Who?"

"The idiot." Shinn snapped irritably, "Do you think…he'll blow Janurius?"

"Why are you asking me?" Yzak demanded in a dangerously low voice, indicating that he didn't feel like answering what he felt was a redundant question.

"Because you're a Supreme Councilor. I don't know how politicians think, and I don't want to know. But what would you do if you were to choose between nation and daughter?"

The answer was simple and it stared at Yzak in the face…

_I'd kill my daughter… _

---

Cagalli Yula Athha sank slowly onto the bench, her eyes still glued to the screen, she felt utterly helpless; darkness claimed her and swallowed her whole. It was all a lure, a decoy for them to be all the way out of sight when Athrun needed help. Her chest felt constricted and she was conscious of her own breathing.

_Don't Athrun…_

Athrun's choice will be a painful, but correct one, both politically and morally. Realization seemed to dawn on Maximillion now and in hushed tones he croaked, "Big brother Athrun is going to kill someone?"

_Yes…_

A sob broke out from her throat, _she so desperately wanted to tell him that the someone might just be his beloved sister…but she can't._

---

Beads of perspiration trailed down Athrun's temples, he needed time to think; time he he knew he didn't have.

_There must be a way out of this mess, there must be a way out, there must be. Mr Elthman had presented this as a puzzle, a challenge to him, so there must be a solution to the puzzle. Option one and Two spoken by him will mean people are gonna die, people dear to him, or his people…_

The choice should have been obvious but it wasn't easy to make.

_**Thirty seconds… **_

His throat felt dry and parched, and he swallowed. What he needed was a miracle…and miracles don't come falling through metal ceilings; or steel reinforced walls for the matter. His own heart was going into overdrive, speeding up as he stared numbly at the virtual buttons. The options are set before him, clear as day, dark as night. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the pressure wrap about his chest like a gigantic clamp, constricting his breathing...

_**Twenty…**_

_I can't…I just can't…_he said to himself as he uttered, "Option…" but caught himself again. Unaware that Cagalli was watching him, heart in mouth. Waiting for him to pronounce the death verdict over his daughter, their daughter... …

**Ten…**

_There has to be a way!_ He chided himself for not thinking hard enough.

_Why did Mr Elthman take the trouble to encode voice patterns when it would be easier to give him the detonator with two buttons on it? There must be something about this situation, there must be a loophole somewhere._

And something absurd occurred to him, the light at the end of the tunnel. The solution to the riddle, like the relief of finding the answer after a series of long strenuous, mathematical equations. He inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling as if he could breath again.

---

Spencer Gladys watched unblinkingly as Athrun Zala lifted his head and said confidently, "Option…" Than the screen went blank, Spencer smacked the screen in disbelief. Cursing at the static.

---

As Murrue Ramius gazed out of the glass window of the viewing gallery, a shockwave from the space colony known as Janurius rocked the entire vessel…as it exploded into a thousand infinitesimal pieces…

---End of this chapter---

How's is it so far? I titled the story I Believe for a reason, read on…

To: belldandy ----I think it's a little too late to change the bad guy now... cause I already wrote the ending! Haha, in any case, I know dearka's dad was not much of a bad egg, but there a need to facilitate a twist in the plot. If you find me ignorant, I apologize, (bows)-

To Moi: I took your suggestion.

To Krilyn: Erm, I think I'm about to torture Athrun a little more than you did in your fic. Well, not excatly a competition, but I'm a sadis...Hee.


	7. Chapter 7:Where's Athrun

Chapter Seven: Where's Athrun?

"_**You're already in charged, I trust you all the way." Dearka Elthman**_

_**---**_

"_The situation has changed in the blink of an eye as the destruction of Janurius caused a cascade of events across the earth; and the moon…"_

"_Tension is rising between the independent factors in…"_

"_The emirs in Orb Union announced that the treaty between PLANTs and Orb Union has currently been suspended and in all probability, rendered null and void."_

Cagalli listened halfheartedly to the telecast as she made no effort to pull her finger away from the sleeping Maximillion, who was suckling and nibbling on her thumb instead of his own.

She didn't know how she should feel, part of her was genuinely sorrowful about the demise of Janurius. At the same time, she had been utterly confused and at the same time oddly angry at herself for not being able to save Athrun, and to watch as the thing that the two of them had worked so hard for fall to pieces. The treaty is beyond impossibilities now, their seven years of living apart and nation building, all their efforts, all their sweat and blood, all seven years of their lives; wasted.

She stroked the length of Maximillion's golden fringe; it was the only thing she could do to calm herself, to tell herself that all is not lost.

_Marlene is alive. _

She couldn't deny her selfishness, but at that moment when the world was against them, she was just a mother. If the world wanted to destroy her daughter, she alone would stay by her till death.

Some things are beyond value, they are precious. And at that moment, she only knew Marlene and Athrun are precious to her, perhaps even more precious than even Orb. And just how precious she couldn't say; but her own stubbornness scared even herself.

"Athrun…" she whispered to no one absentmindedly, the familiar name tugging at her heart; as if connected by an invisible, unbreakable string. Max stirred and Cagalli held her breath. He shifted slightly, and then continued sleeping soundly. She let go of the breath. And combed her fingers through the child's fringe as she uttered a silent prayer, wishing with all of her heart that Athrun is safe…

"Cagalli."

Kira's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to look at him testily.

"Yea?"

"The Emirs are on the line…" Kira answered from the door, not daring to go near Cagalli in her angered state. "They want to speak to you, something about treachery…"

"Oh."

_---_

Yulie Amarfi stormed through the gates, pushing past the guards at the door and slamming the door behind him.

He was an unusually patient man, only the biggest losers get under his skin. But today, it didn't take an Intelligence Quotient of hundred and eighty to tell that he was angry. He face was flushed and his fist clenched tightly as he stalked towards Tad Elthman, the latter turned, and quickly greeted the angry man with phony smile that showed all his pearly white teeth.

"Senator Amarfi, pleasure." He said airily, "How can I help you?"

Yulie Amarfi was having none of that, he wasted no time in grabbing the other man's neck; clamping down around his windpipe as he questioned, "WHY DID YOU BLOW JANURIUS?!"

"RE…Relax, OLD friend!" ,he managed to choke while trying to breathe. "What have I got to do with Janurius?"

"Both you and I know that the disagreement within the Supreme Council, there are only two sides…"

"I don't…"

"DON'T give me that RUBBISH!" he snapped, "You're the only one who knows that Athrun was kidnapped, the identities of the ones who will stand on his side and somehow found out they were having a meeting at Janurius yesterday in secrecy…"

Tad Elthman could no longer hide his smirk, and Yulie Amarfi wringed harder. "WHY?! INGRATE! Athrun did you no wrong, but he did so much for the PLANTs!! Why are you out to frame him?!"

"Frame? But he destroyed Janurius with his own two hands…" Mr Elthman replied quietly, Yulie Amarfi stiffened visibly, and his grip loosened. "The kid didn't do it, you did something…" He accused, with less conviction than he would have preferred.

"Is that so…?" Tad Elthman whispered, "What if I told you you're right…"

"What do you mean…?"

Mr Elthman smiled sinisterly, and in a small voice he whispered into Yulie Amarfi's ear, "Zala's boy is with me. And he won't last much longer, not if I can help it…" And swiftly, he sent a punch into Yulie Amarfi's stomach.

"Ahh….!" He choked as he sank onto the floor, his eyes squeezed shut in obvious pain. "Why…? I thought you could forget…" Yulie Amarfi gasped.

"Have you ever forgotten how your son died?"

"……"

"Same with me."

"But you promised Patrick…!"

"…to treat his son like mine should anything happen to him…" Tad Elthman finished the sentence as he turned his back on the older man, "I remember. I'm not old and senile like you." His voice was so cold that it sent a shiver up Yulie Amarfi's spine. "His actions irk me, his attitude disgusts me. He looks so much like Lenore but…" he trailed off, "…he just isn't the same gentle soul. He destroyed what Patrick died for…" And Tad Elthman leered down at Yulie Amarfi as he hissed, "And I'll destroy him…"

"What have you done with him?!"

"You'll see…" He replied with the same menacing grin, "I'm not through yet, and you, old friend. Will watch him die…"

"I'll tell them who kidnapped Athrun in the first place!"

"Really, who'd listen to a gibbering old man? You're old, Yulie. You should retire, go spend your last days with your wife…"

"Maybe I will retire, but NOT BEFORE TELLING EVERYONE YOUR SECRET…"

"I beseech you…tell little Yzak and the rest as well while you're at it. Come, use my computer, tell them who you are." Yulie Amarfi stared up in shock, "What else are you planning?!"

"Well, nothing much…" He smiled, "Just the death of a certain thorn in the flesh…"

Lacus Clyne cupped her hands over her mouth, stifling an audible gasp.

"And before that…I believe you would want to see them yourself…"

_---_

"_Reports from the satellites revolving around Janurius showed that due to the sudden happening of the tragedy, it is highly likely that all 200,000 citizens perished in the mass genocide. And this raises the question as to whether the PLANTs Chairman, Charmain Athrun Zala instituted this mass murder…"_

"_Murderer!" one deranged looking citizen screamed._

"_The Supreme council of PLANTs denied this assumption and alleged that the Chairman had not informed the council of his sudden departure and subsequently…"_

"_Other sources say that the PLANTs Chairman has been missing since six days ago and has not been seen since, inside information tells us that the Supreme council had tried to cover up the absence of Chairman Zala in order for the treaty signing to go on. And in fact, Athrun Zala has been kidnapped by an unknown terrorist organization, along with the peace envoy, Marlene Yula Athha. It is unconfirmed whether they are in any mortal danger, but…"_

"_The EAF has declared war on the basis of an unreported attack from the Zaft forces some sixteen hours ago…"_

"_It's all Zala's fault! If he hadn't…"_

"_Orb Union denied knowing that Chairman Zala has been missing in action, and while representative Cagalli Yula Athha have not yet made a public explanation regarding this issue, observers reckons that the conspiracy went as deep as to hoodwink the whole of twenty six countries that make up Orb Union…"_

"_Damn you, Athrun Zala!"_

"Damn** you**!" Dearka retorted defensively, "Yzak can you believe this?! Athrun this, Athrun that, his fault, his fault, his fault! Can't they just believe that he was kidnapped and is now a damsel in distress?"

"But it IS his fault." Yzak replied coldly, "He is the only one who can be responsible for Janurius!"

"Not you too!" Dearka shouted.

"Who else can it be?" Yzak muttered in frustration as he shook his head, causing his long silver hair to fray in all directions. "HE IS THE ONLY ONE…!"

"I don't think Zala did this unless he told me himself!"

"I don't WANT to believe it either…BUT…"

"BUT WHAT?!"

"…It doesn't matter now, there are more important things." Yzak steepled his fingers together and leaned his forehead on his hands, knocking his own head. "I can't believe we just caused PLANTs to go to war with EAF…Stupid, STUPID!"

"What can we do?"

Yzak sighed most uncharacteristically as he leaned back on the swivel chair, "Find a hole and jump in…"

"The whole ship is depending on you, DON'T YOU DARE FALL APART NOW!"

"I KNOW!!" he snapped, "But what can I DO? Why not you tell me?!"

"IF I KNOW WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!"

"THEN SHUT UP AND LET ME THINK!!!" Yzak stood up so suddenly his chair fell backwards. Dearka had enough as he gripped Yzak by the collar and sent a quick punch into his face, Yzak couldn't duck in time. But as soon as he recovered, he sent a knee flying into Dearka's stomach. He let go and Yzak lunged forward with a snarl, pinning Dearka to the wall., sending a vicious punch at his jaw.

Their struggle continued for the next fifteen minutes, neither of them gaining leverage over the other, they fought till they were both too tired to fight. Exchanging blow after blow successively really took it out of two people who haven't been pumping iron.

And in the end, both of them just slumped down at different corners of the room and shot happy daggers at each other with angry glares. Two tired men, acting more like boys half their age…

---

"I don't believe it's his decision…" Luna said quietly at the bridge. Shinn turned to glare at her as he pointed to the screen, where a reenactment of the moment Janurius blew up was playing, "THIS is his decision. And whose fault is it that we're stuck in this mess? Some idiot Supreme Council member who wants to be a father when he can't even take care of himself!"

"Don't you dare speak of Mr Jule in that manner!!" Shiho screamed, glaring at Shinn.

"Shuddup, lapdog!" He yelled in frustration.

"Miss Hahnefuss!" Luna shouted before she could blow, "I apologize on his behalf…"

"Luna you don't have to say sorry to this parrot…!"

Luna gave him a hard look and a tight squeeze on his shoulder, he simmered down immediately. Shiho turned and left wordlessly.

Lunamaria turned back to Shinn, and sighed, "I think Athrun's in real danger. If he can be forced to kill 200,000 people he can very well be forced to take his own life."

Shinn's eyes widened at the prospect he never thought of, Luna continued, "I want to go on looking… I think we should find him before it's too late…"

Shinn glared at her for a few more moments, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked to one side, then the other and considered Luna's statement for a few more seconds. At long last, he hissed, "Fine, but we need to know where the heck he is…"

---

"_Option…" he hesitated one final time as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Option three. " His voice echoed eerily round the small dark room for a few more seconds, like the moments before a death sentence. The lights in the blue and red buttons lost their brilliance suddenly, and faded into nothingness, leaving the room completely dark and un-illuminated._

_Athrun sank feebly to the floor, suddenly feeling weak. And in that instant he was awfully conscious of his own stricken and quick breathing. His heart was still racing, pounding in his ears. Other than that, all he heard was silence. The deafening, endless kind which seemed to scream out from all the metallic walls around him, enveloping him, smothering him. He thought he would go mad if he stayed like this any longer. He couldn't see his own fingers now, even if he held them in front of his face. It was dark and impossibly quiet, and it made him feel like just breaking down and cry. _

_He felt as if he was on the verge of tipping over a cliff, wondering what he had done. Wondering if Marlene was safe, and praying that Janurius is still in one piece. He knows very well that his actions impact the people of plants and earth, but it was never magnified to this extent. _

_Never. _

_He had killed, but it was under orders, but now…_

_He clenched his fist, so hard that nail bit into skin. He felt as if he had failed one too many times already. The people who trust him, and those who relied on him; he has failed them all. For he might have committed what the Zala faction had done seven years ago, he might have condemned tens of thousands to death…_

_Cagalli, I'm so sorry… _

---  
Both of them were panting hard and Dearka wiped the corner of his mouth and was the first to speak, "Feelin' better…?"

Yzak blinked and looked up in surprise, he opened his mouth but no words came out. Dearka laughed at his friends' response, "I guessed you needed it, I know how you're feeling, Sedna and all…You're stressed out?" When Yzak continued to stare like a guppy, Dearka added, "Shiho told me…"

"CRAP!" Yzak spat as he rummaged through his long hair, as if hoping more strands will hide his reddened face from view. "One day I'll fire that woman!"

"No, you won't" Dearka grinned, "You said that about a million times…… All that aside, we're still in a mess. What can we do?"

It was quiet for the next five minutes as neither spoke, Yzak stared insistently at the ground; as if hoping for something to jump out from the ground at him. Dearka watched him for a while, and quizzed, "You want a light bulb to go along with the set?" Yzak thought for a while, not catching the joke. And when he did he didn't find it so funny. If anything, it was rather lame.

"…Dearka…"

He looked up and caught Yzak's usual cool blue gaze.

"I'll take charge of this. I must, I must make sure all of us survive this..."

"That's what I wanna hear, If not Captain Murrue will be after our blood." Dearka observed.

"……My blood, if it must be…" Yzak replied slowly, "The only way out…I'll go back to PLANTs."

"But…"

"It's either that or all of us gets implicated…"

"We can continue looking!" Dearka exclaimed, as if stating the obvious. "Find Athrun and make him explain. I know you're angry, we can kill him after we're done interrogating him!"

Yzak snorted and laughed weakly, "Kill him? You're too kind."

"Agreed." Dearka said as he got up and walked across the room, offering a hand to Yzak, who studied it for a moment before he took it and dragged himself upright. "…How many of them will go look with us?" Yzak wondered aloud in a small voice as he grit his teeth, "…we need manpower."

Dearka grinned, "Let's go ask. And Yzak."

"What?"

"You look like a mad man."

Yzak threw a reproachful look in Dearka's direction as he hastily combed back the long silvery strands, gathering everything over his shoulders.

"It's too long, you should get rid of it…" Dearka muttered absentmindedly, "Oh, I forgot, you love your wife too much…"

Yzak snapped, "SHUT UP!" and Dearka chuckled. "Fine, and Yzak you know something?"

"WHAT?!"

"You're already in charge, I trust you all the way."

Yzak didn't reply as he walked straight ahead, as if looking at some invisible spider spinning an invisible web. Dearka waited patiently as he followed suit, knowing Yzak's thinking, or probably hesitating about something. After a good two more minutes, Yzak turned around and with as must sincerity as he could muster while making sure he keeps Dearka from laughing out loud, he uttered, "Thank you."

Without looking at him, Dearka replied, "Welcome."

---

Kelvin Turner laid a hand on Shiho's shoulder, "Chill out girl."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped.

"Yes, m'lady."

"That too!"

"Supergirl?" he asked hopefully.

"NO!!"

"Shiho." Yzak called as he approached. Her eyes snapped wide open as she saluted hastily, "YESSIR!"

"Meeting, Operation find Athrun Zala." Dearka added saucily.

"Then kill him." Yzak muttered.

"Provided there's still enough of him to kill…" Dearka added on.

---

He was enclosed in that dark room for a seemingly endless amount of time, and when someone did come in, it was to torment him further…

He looked up from the floor as rays of light poured in from the exit, partially thwarted by the silhouette of four men. Even though he couldn't see their faces, he knew they meant him no mercy. The guns were proof enough of their intentions.

_He was surprised they didn't just use the gun._

Instead, they chose to buy their time. And Athrun couldn't help but feel as if they were under orders to damage him but spare his life for the big shot to deal the finishing blow.

He was right of course.

Two held him down as the third struck his cheek so hard that he felt his neck crick perilously. The fourth man, a boyish-looking one with a low and inviting voice then met him at face level and said, "Chairman Zala, Mr Elthman bade you a warm welcome. And he says 'he's very pleased with your performance…'"

Athrun very much wanted to ask, but he ground his teeth and refused to be baited.

The man continued, "He is after just one thing now, and he claims only you know it." He hesitated, "The secret code. The Horology…"

Athrun's eyes widened and he gasped softly. His eyes still locked on the speck of dust on the floor.

"Chairman Zala, I am no lackey to Mr Elthman, I'm on your side as far as I can help it. Tell me, and I'll negotiate with them to make your death as swift and painless as possible. Refuse, and I have no choice but to let you die a long, horrible…and utterly painful death…"

Athrun felt cold suddenly, even though it was a tempting exchange, it was as if a chilly wind blew past in the ill-ventilated room. He spoke in a voice equally cold, and so foreign to his own ears, "Come closer, come closer… and I will tell you…"

The man raised his eyebrows; he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. He always knew the Chairman for his high and mightiness, his pride being his all. He knew himself as a good interrogator, tormenting seemed to be his only forte; even his mother told him the same thing. He could talk the newborn out of their mother's arms; he could bait the most difficult people to tattle about infinitely valuable information. But is he that good?

Wiping his suspicions and disappointments away with the fact that he broke the spirit of the PLANTS chairman without really trying, he lean forward till his ear was beside Athrun's mouth. Athrun regarded the gesture emotionlessly, then he whispered into his ear.

"Your breath stinks…"

Enraged, the man send a punch into the space right beneath the sternum, were the flesh was softer. And he was deceptively stronger than he looked. For a moment Athrun couldn't breathe, and no one would let him in any case. It was as if someone pressed the fast-forward button, for blows rained down from all sides. Immobilizing him, and at a certain point, he thought they were gonna kill him there and be done with it. He bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out; he didn't want them to know how much pain they were inflicting him. And maybe dying was a better fate than what awaited him back in Tad Elthman's company.

He knew he lost consciousness for a while; and those few moments were pure bliss. Before someone dragged him upright and roughly pinned him to what was apparently a table, letting his forearm half-hang off the sharp edge of the desk.

"Athrun Zala…" the man cooed, it was a sound that sent the hairs on Athrun's back stand on end. He blinked lethargically, and had difficulty cracking open his left eye as blood was caking over it; flowing down from the wound on his forehead and dripping onto the table surface. His breathing was shallow and painful, and straining his aching bruised sides.

The man's smooth and kiddy face came into focus gradually and he was smiling contently. In his hand he was holding something that looked pretty heavy. Light reflected dimly off its dark brass but highly polished surface, Athrun couldn't tell what it was, but they had obviously improvised.

"You leave me no choice but to do this, I'll show you a preview to what hell is like…" His face was a look of deep pensive, but anger was seeping out of his every syllabus. And with that he swung the metal piece down, and the weapon hit Athrun's arm on the mark. Excruciating pain began to tear through his arm instantaneously, and Athrun almost screamed. But he forced himself to bit it down and stomach it.

"Hurts, doesn't it." He reminded Athrun unnecessarily. "And if you know what's good for you…you'll tell me what I want to know." He grabbed Athrun's arm and squeezed the part where an ugly bruise is forming, hissing, "TELL ME THE CODE!!" Athrun gritted his teeth and glared back, and received a second blow to his arm as a punishment. Athrun couldn't help but cry out in pain. It was that or bite off his own tongue. He blinked away the film of hot tears in his eyes, refusing to give the interrogator any satisfaction of knowing he was cracking.

"TALK!"

"Never!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, more to himself than to anyone else.

And the third blow hit his arm, with a sickening crunch and the grinding of bones. He didn't even have time to scream as pure agony engulfed his senses and he almost blacked out; but there was no even room for such a small measure of mercy now. He was painfully conscious for the next minute where the excruciating sensation tore and coursed through his whole body in spasms. The man beside him said something, but Athrun couldn't hear. All his senses seem dulled in striking contrast to the consuming pain. He couldn't run for there was nowhere to run, he couldn't scream. He tried to shut it out; he tried to close all the pain and agony off to give himself time and space to breathe, to think. But there was no escape, even when Athrun bit down on his lip so hard he tasted blood instantly. The minute seemed like eternity and the kiddy man spoke again, "Roger sir." And he stepped to one side.

Through his slightly blurred vision, Athrun lifted his gaze just enough to distinguish wall from men, and now there were two more. One was shouting his name, and Athrun found the voice oddly familiar. The second man smiled, and greeted him, "Helloooo, Zala."

Athrun was lucid all of a sudden as pain was replaced by hatred, and he recognized that Nicol's father was beside Tad Elthman, angered and held down. In Yulie Amarfi's arms was a little girl, and her eyes were wide.

"Athrun! Athrun?!" Yulie Amarfi yelled, relief swept past his features as Athrun awoke. "What has he done to you?!"

Athrun was suddenly ashamed for letting Marlene see him in this state. Blood was dribbling down his eye and off his chin, there were bandages round his neck and wrist, bruises all over in places where his long sleeved uniform offered concealment. Worst of all, his forearm was twisted midway, awkwardly at a 60 degree angle outward. The kink in the unbroken skin was marked by blue-black, where ruptured vessels were steadily leaking blood into the surrounding damaged tissue. The broken edges of the bone were grinding at the exposed nerves, causing a numbing pain to prevail. Marlene stared, fear and disgust evident in those clear green eyes. Athrun quickly withdrew his broken arm, and forced himself to rise. The effort made him feel light-headed and vulnerable.

Yulie Amarfi took the sight in, telling himself over and over that there was no way Athrun could have ordered the destruction of Janurius. He had obviously been tormented into it. And he had seen interrogations, lots of them. Men in pain are not a pretty sight, but seeing Athrun pained to the verge of swooning left him speechless.

Tad Elthman savoured the moment fully, resisting the urge to poke Athrun and have a good laugh.

"You like Mikagami over there? He's the best in the line."

"You flatter me…" the kiddy man said humbly.

"Do we have the code yet?"

"…Unfortunately, no sir."

"Certainly I did." He finished with a dramatic sigh. He turned back to Athrun, "I guess it doesn't matter, not when you're here, and will hang around."

"Shut up." Athrun said without enthusiasm, it was all he could manage through clenched teeth. Apparently Tad Elthman didn't hear him as he continued ranting, "And you know something? I didn't expect you to choose correctly…" he paused. Looked at Athrun and smirked as he patted his head, "Good job."

Athrun scowled irritably and Tad Elthman pulled away, playfully saying, "Ah, the dog barks." Marlene's round head snapped in Tad Elthman's direction, and with one short hand she reached out and whacked him reproachfully. In response, he raised an eyebrow. Pinched her nose and told her, "I'll deal with you later." She pulled away forcibly, and stuck out her tongue at him.

Athrun almost could forget the pain and smile, but he remembered more vividly than ever as Mr Elthman came at him again. "Where were we..? Oh yes, option three. You have any idea what that is?" And when Athrun remained silent, he asked again with a false smile, "No?" And he advanced toward him past the desk and made it dangerously close towards Athrun's broken arm. Athrun stiffened and backed off into the wall behind him instinctively, fearing that he would be cruel enough as to touch and agitate the wound. "Make a guess…what do you think option three means."

"Option three…" Athrun said hoarsely, "…Is to destroy myself."

"Bingo." He replied, seemingly contented, "And how… did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"You dropped hints that all you wanted is to unmake me, not some mega-cosmic destruction. And certainly not Marlene, I guessed that killing me was your only objective. And it's unlike you not to say it outright."

"Full marks."

"…But you will not stop there, your ambition extends beyond the four walls of the council room. Killing me would achieve nothing…"

"Not true, it makes me happier. Mikagami, gimme something sharp, anything."

The kiddy man instantly flicked open a standard Zaft dagger and offered it to Tad Elthman by the handle.

"Thank you." He added graciously as he took over the blade, he took a look at Athrun's broken right arm, then gripped his injured left one. Athrun tried to pull away feebly, but his efforts were to no avail.

Tad Elthman placed the ice cold blade against the warm surface of his wrist, and glided the waffle thin edge over the surface; teasing it, testing the dermal layer to see if it will hold.

"Elthman…!" Yulie's Amarfi's eyes widened in warning, but the guards restrained him.

Tad Elthman ignored him, and continued studying Athrun through madden eyes. "You're gonna die soon. You have the license to scream like a school girl now, you know."

Athrun didn't reply, partially because he was far too beat up and tired to utter a single word. He just looked away, choosing instead to annoy the man and disregard his threat.

It worked, a little too well. For the pissed off Tad Elthman pressed the blade, bleak as death over the pulsing artery and demanded hotly, "Well?!"

"Just do it!" Athrun dared him.

"TAD, NO!!"

With one swift flick the blade had sunk into his flesh; deep enough to draw blood, not enough to cut bone. Tad smiled, and then yanked the blade free. Blood began to spurt from the wound immediately and the pain was excruciating. But Athrun didn't even have the strength to cry out in pain. He opened his mouth but no sound came out as he felt Tad Elthamn let go, and hot blood dribbled off his third and fourth finger in rivulets. He attempted to stem the bleeding by feebly pressing his arm against his side. But it was like trying to stop a tsunami with a kitchen plunger.

He was starting to feel light now, blood loss and bodily injury taking its toll on him. He sagged heavily against the wall behind him, and concentrated on continuing to breathe, even though every breath hurts. Dimly in the surroundings, Marlene whimpered and started crying.

"I seemed to have cut too deep..." Tad Elthman suggested sarcastically as he studied the bloody edge of the blade. "Hmm, so what's gonna happen to the little one here?" He stride back to Marlene and removed her bodily from Yulie Amarfi. She yelped and struggled.

"Don't hurt her…" Athrun rasped, strength leaving his body with each second.

"Beg me."

"Please, please don't hurt her. Let her go…"

"Do a proper job." Tad Elthman yawned. Athrun eyed with a poisonous glare. But slowly, he sank to his knees.

"Athrun…" Yulie Amarfi whispered, "Don't…" Surprise and grief were evident in those eyes filled with the depth of age, and Athrun tried not to look. He had lost, he had been utterly and totally defeated. He had been trapped and cornered like a rat in the sewers, where there was no pride to speak of; only death. He had failed his best friend, his wife, his best officer. He had betrayed their faith in him; but he will not fail his daughter. Painstakingly, he placed one bloody palm on the ground, then laid down the other. He swallowed thickly, then faced the floor as he said, "Please don't hurt her, let her go."

"Why should I? She'll tattle."

"She's autistic, she can't talk."

Marlene flinched at the last sentence, and stared at Athrun. Hurt, afraid but unable to express how much. Athrun chose to ignore her, and it took nearly everything he had just to do so. Instead, he turned back at Tad Elthman. "You're a father too..."

"But I wanna hear you beg me." He insisted. Athrun bit his lip and Yulie Amarfi shouted, "TAD, IT'S ENOUGH!!" Yulie Amarfi shouted, "YOU've gone too far!!"

"I know how far to go." He replied evenly. Then turned back to Athrun. "Well?"

"…Let her go…I beg of you."

"Again? I can't seem to hear."

"I said, I BEG YOU, LET HER GO!"

"Fine." He replied graciously as he handed Marlene back to Yulie Amarfi; who simply snatched it from him before he had a chance to offer, "You may rise."

Athrun blinked lethargically, then heaved a small sigh of relief. He eased himself off the ground bit by bit, feeling his own heart emptying his veins with each pump. He tried to get off the floor, he really did. But his legs were weak and he could hardly feel them. He attempted again, but this time he failed miserably as his blood-moistened hand slipped and he landed on his side on the harsh ground at Tad Elthman's feet. It caused his entire body to hurt.

"Persistent, aren't we?" he questioned mockingly as he squat down and observed Athrun, like dog looking at a piece of bone; gazing particularly at the pool of blood forming round the slit on his bloodied and torn wrist.

Athrun was almost oblivious to it by now, nearly all sounds had faded apart from his own strangled breathing. He felt cold and helpless, and he allowed his heavy eye-lids to slip shut. With the absolute last ounce of strength he could possibly muster, he whispered, "Uncle Amarfi…"

"Yes?" His replied was fearful and immediate, but thick. And it indicated that the older man was crying.

"Please… take her to her mother…"

"I will."

And Athrun's gone.

---

End. Sorry this chapter took so long, it's long anyway. Been out of the country for a while for those who are not aware…Hong Kong is fun! Really eat and shop and eat and shop!

Tell me what you think can…this chapter was actually twice as long, had to do some cropping…

Ming


	8. Chapter 8: Where's Kira

Chapter eight: Where's Kira?

Author's note: Hi all, this chapter took me SOOO long, I'm sure all of you are kept waiting. Wait no more!

---

_**"Checkmate." 'Kira Yamato'**_

His mind was nearly as empty as the deserted landscape around him as he lunged forward; allowing his momentum to build up and become a devastating force. Feeling the wind in his face- brushing against his scratched cheek.

He knew absolutely nothing; except that he had to defend himself.

He was utterly convinced that he could only protect himself by fighting back; by struggling and brawling until one of them falls prey to the other. Dinner for the vultures.

_Vultures?_

They only exist on earth; not on the moon base, not in the PLANTs. Does that mean that he was on earth?

_Wait a minute, what is he doing on earth?_

The lingering thought caused his head to pulsate painfully; he pushed away with a grimace. Instead choosing to concentrate all his considerable might into his fist- which flew into the EAF soldier's stomach mercilessly.

Time seemed to stop for a bit as the man became motionless, sagging heavily against him. Before he slipped and crumpled on the ground, delirious.

He looked down upon the soldier as he wiped the grim from his face with his soiled hands, planning to relieve the man of his food supply and weapons as the man spoke.

"Curse you…and YOUR kind! …Coordinator."

_Coordinator._

The word triggered something, something so foul that he forgot about his churning stomach momentarily; it tasted like bitter woodworm in his mouth. The bag of food supplies fell out of his hand voluntarily, it stared up limply from the floor; as if mocking him. Snatches of images floated in his mind's eye, drifting just out of reach. The words had confused his brain, and he fought to compose himself; battling against his instinct to shout for joy.

This man knows something about him; he has a piece of the puzzle to offer.

"Why did you say that?" He sneered, trying to sound menacing; which was quite difficult as apparently he never had talent in interrogation, though he had no idea what manner of a man he was.

"You…!" The man coughed as he struggled to get up, "…odd purple eyes, fancy brown hair. EDITED! Manufactured! Born from a test tube, A bastd!!" And he let out a deranged howl, halfway between a laughter and cry of pain.

He understood the statement, he knew he should be feeling angry; but oddly enough, he didn't. All he felt were grief, and pity. He felt that there was something strangely familiar from the way he spoke of coordinators, the inferiority complex, the fear in is eyes, the contempt in his breath, and the pain in his voice.

"What's wrong with being born in a test tube?" Was all he managed in reply, "Does that make Coordinators evil?"

"Haa…Haha!" He laughed aloud this time, and held on to his pained abdomen. "Chairman Zala himself sanctioned murder. Twenty thousand! NOT ONE WAS SPARED!" He laughed again, the sound causing the hairs on his back to stand on end. "My wife… …gone home to visit her friends one instant, gone the next…" He covered his face with his hands as he was apparently trying not to cry, "I told her not to go…I could have stopped her…….I, I could have saved her…" And his fist clenched painfully, as if reaching out to hold on to something he had already lost.

He wasn't listening anymore, his heart contracted at the word 'Zala'. And a scene began to surface in his mind's eye, it was dark, cold, and painful. Someone began shouting, screaming and hollering in the darkness, like a headless phantom. The sound caused him to cover his ears reflexively. The memory washed over his senses, consuming him with a vision; dim at first, but gaining clarity as it approached. The shouting had begun again, so close and vivid that it felt as if people were screaming into his ears.

"_Zala, TALK!!" A man shouted, his voice was cold, like ice._

"_I said I don't know!!" This one's voice was lower, and mellower. And his hands were tied up, blood was trailing down the raw skin that had been eaten through. _

"_LIES!! More lies and I will kill your friend here!"_

"_But I really don't know…!" He was slapped on the head, and roughly shoved to the ground. Before he had time to recover, the man grabbed a big chunk of his blue hair and yanked him upright, forcing him to look in his friend's direction. His heart contracted forcefully as the blue-hair man met his eyes. _

_His eyes were brilliantly green, but fearful and tired. _

"_Can you bear to see him suffer?" The cold voice asked, and his twisted his grip, forcing 'Zala' to look at him. "You can save him…" he whispered, "By telling me what I need to know…"_

"_The secret had been lost…"The blue-hair man spoke with difficulty, his voice thick with choking. "When my father killed Chairman Clyne…"_

"_There must have been something left to be passed down between Chairmen…"_

"_Nothing was left!" He exclaimed, trying to wriggle out of the other man's death grip. "The Horology is LOST!"_

_There was silence suddenly, but no relief in the tension in the air. The atmosphere was challenged and tense still, and it was gravely quiet for a few minutes. _

"_Suit yourself." The cold voice said at last, and he pushed the blue-hair man towards two others, who held him down. The tormentor then turned…_

He gasped as he looked at his own reflection in the puddle on the ground, and stared hard for the next few seconds, his heart palpitating wildly.

"What do we have here?" Said a man behind him, and he turned unsteadily, eyes still wide as a blow hit him squarely in the face.

Three others, all wearing the EAF uniform had arrived and caught him unaware. He had been hungry, tired and weak. He was trying to get up as someone kicked his side, then his stomach. He couldn't counter and didn't, as if he suddenly lost the strength. He tried his best to curl up as they walloped him.

_De javu._

He felt the pain, like the way he did before, he felt the shame, and the same someone shouted again…

"_No! Don't! PLEASE!!"_

"_You have your own impudence to blame!" _

"_I already told you everything I know!" _

"_Then blame your ignorance!"_

_They beat him till he wasn't conscious of the pain anymore, and eventually he felt the cold, metal floor meeting his face. Barely aware that blood was dribbling down his face as he felt something sharp being pricked into his skin. _

"_STOP!!"_

"STOP!!" yelled a fourth person who came running. There was a little bit of commotion, some shoving, teasing and bullying before the first three men left with their injured comrade. The person knelt down and appeared to examine his wounds, he was a little short and had a smooth face. After a minute he asked, "You…really are a coordinator."

_With a strangled cry, the blue-haired man pulled himself free of the restraining arms and ran forward. The interrogator cursed and pulled something out of his pocket, he stopped the raging man by clamping down his right wrist; which was apparently injured as he yelled and winced as he twisted harder. And he swiftly pressed the something against the nape of his neck, right behind his ear. The blue-hair man gave a small gasp of surprise. And when his wrist was released he slipped and collapsed on the ground beside him._

_As the two of them lay on the ground side by side, he couldn't help but gaze helplessly into those green eyes again. _

_Through his dimmed vision, he could see that the blue-hair man was hanging on grimly, trying not to lose consciousness. His speech was slurred and his voice weak and dry as he spoke for the last time, "I…I'm sorry." He paused, closing his eyes briefly as he swallowed, and then quickly opening them again; as if afraid that if he closed them, he'll been gone for good. _

"_I'm sorry, Kira." He whispered. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into this…"_

_Kira felt a sting in his eyes, remembering the school days where it were more normal for Kira to get them both into trouble and have their discipline mistress hot on their heels. Tears of shame, humiliation and pain cascaded horizontally down his face, and he blinked a few more times, his green eyes glazing over. _

_Kira wanted to reply, he really did. He wanted to tell his friend he got him into trouble more often, so he wasn't angry in the least bit. He wanted to assure him that they will get out of this mess alive. But Kira's tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth as he struggled to reply, and watched in horror as the man closed his eyes and remained still. _

"I'll be alright…" He uttered, "_I promise."_

_I promise, Athrun._

---

Spencer Gladys sat there in the darkness, refusing to move, unwilling to think.

_Janurius is gone…_

He couldn't believe it, he did not want to. The logical part of his brain was still rejecting the thought, even though it seemed the only possible piece to the puzzle.

_Athrun Zala had been unforgivably selfish._

He had chosen to sacrifice twenty thousand others over his own flesh and blood. One girl, just one; and she was more important than all twenty thousand lives added together. Those people died trusting in their Chairman. They perished, believing in the integrity of Chairman Zala.

The thought was weighty and seemed so far away. Spencer had known Athrun as a mentor, as a deceivingly powerful and gentle person. He first met Athrun when he was nine, and at that time, Murrue had introduced the teenager as the former Zaft ace. And Spencer laughed at the eighteen year old and refused to believe Murrue. His biological mother had obviously sent pictures of her crew members, including the reported legend. But in the photos he always looked so impassive and awkward, and offered no clue as to what kind of person he was. And it all became obvious when Spencer met him face to face.

He had features so soft and soothing that they should really have belonged to a woman. He was graceful, as if at every step he took he was getting ready to dance. He's the one who asked Spencer if he liked piloting, and whether he ever considered joining Zaft. And Spencer joined military school on his advice. And Athrun he himself invigilated the life-piloting exam. Seventeen students qualified for that round, and only five emerged reds, not for defeating Chairman Zala, but not get hit at all in the five minute time span. Spencer aced the exam, under Kira Yamato's coaching and supervision.

But now…They don't even know where he was. Or whether he will still come back to invigilate the next exam…

---

She still remembered the time when the beings now known as Marlene and Maximillion Zala came into the world…

_It was all inspired by a pack of M&Ms._

_She was just munching on a bit of the delectable sugar-coated chocolate, three months into pregnancy when she picked up the phone and called Athrun. He wasn't easy to reach him, his bodyguards don't allow most calls to get through to him; she was an exception. And even if she got through, he might not be at his office. _

_When she managed to find him, she told him plainly, "I want the kid to be named Maximillion."_

"_But isn't that a bit long…?" he asked wryly, and in a small, small voice he uttered, "And I want a girl…"_

_Cagalli smiled heartily, "Sorry Zala, I have a feeling it's a boy. Mom's always right."_

"_Who says?"_

"_Me."_

"_Com'on, give me a chance, how 'bout this, if it's a girl…name another M?"_

"_Yes please. I'm listening."_

"_Marlene…" he replied after a full minute, "Marlene Zala…"_

"_ZALA? That's sexist!"_

"_Hmm? Why?" he asked, apparently amused._

"_I'm the one doing all the work here!" she replied indignantly, "You continue sitting in your office as if nothing happened and I'm the one carrying the extra weight around! You don't have to find ways to hide and I have to tell people that I've gain weight 'cause I ate too much."_

_His throaty laughter came over the phone as a rush of static, and Cagalli continued, "We agreed on our little conspiracy that he will be 'shared property of PLANTs and Orb right?'"_

"_But I'm torn…" Athrun said jokily. Suddenly Cagalli had an idea._

"_I can offer you a deal."_

"_Really?"_

"_A bet." She confirmed, "Provided you'll be with me in the delivery room."_

"_Athrun swallowed hard, he had heard stories of the horrors, but never seen it himself. "What if I…Oh, I mean, of course I will!"_

"_I want you to be there, watching and knowing how much I have to go through! And if you last to the end unlike other fathers, his surname will be Zala."_

"_His surname? But what if it's a her……?"_

"_No matter. Going once."_

"_But……"_

"_Going twice."_

"_Cagalli……" _

"_Goind"_

"_Fine!"_

_And so on the faithful day…_

---

_He dashed out of the meeting room on the space craft once he got the news from Mana, and as he jumped into Infinite Justice cockpit, his phone rang again. Frantically he flipped it open and asked, "Hello?"_

"_ZALA!!" Came Yzak's irritated voice, "What in the world happened to You?! You can't just…"_

"_Cagalli's giving birth!" He replied immediately, Yzak fell silent, and remained that way for the next stunning five seconds as if he couldn't believe he just got slapped in the face. And finally, he exhaled the breath that he had been holding for the last five seconds and uttered, "Okay, I'll think of something to tell them…, you go."_

"_Chairman Zala?" One mechanic asked him meekly, "You're launching?"_

"_Is there a problem?" He snapped._

"_No, not at all. I'll inform the ground forces…"_

"_Orb Union area 220.67."_

"_You need a car?"_

_Athrun Zala blinked, it doesn't happen often, obviously his brain wasn't working anymore. "Yes."_

"_I'll ask them to get it ready."_

"_Thank you."_

_The mechanic looked shocked, but he saluted swiftly. Athrun closed up the cockpit and set off for the two hour long flight to earth. _

_He landed in the requested Zaft base and was ushered into a black limousine. No good, he would have preferred a sports car which can go easily up to three hundred km/h... Reckless, Haha._

_He knew his brain was just throwing up facts to hide his panic, not that he was complaining. "Can you drive faster?!" he asked the driver. The driver laughed nervously, "No Sir, man, you look like a man whose wife is about to give birth…"_

_Bulls-eye. _

_Athrun knew he should be capable of more self control than this, but circumstances just didn't allow it. He bit his lip as he roughly pushed back a lock of blue hair from his damp forehead. _

_The car slowed further then, and he was on the verge of panicking as he looked up and found himself stuck in a traffic jam. "CRAP!" he cursed, and the driver stiffened, and looked at Athrun as if Athrun was about to eat him. _

_After twenty more minutes and the move barely ten meters, Athrun had enough. He got off the car and looked ahead, estimating the distance he had to cover. Then grinding his boots on the ground to test the traction, he broke into a sprint…_

_---_

_The pain was becoming more unbearable by the second, and Cagalli bit her lip and gasped. She's been at it for more than three hours, pain, squeeze, pain, squeeze some more and nothing seemed to be changing. Her hands gripped the blanket so forcefully till the fabric was on the verge of tearing as the nurse commandeered, "Com'on, push!"_

_She couldn't, it felt as if her body was being torn apart. She was covered in cold sweat and her muscles cry out from being cramped up in the same position for too long. _

_Where was Athrun when she needed him?_

_She ignored the thought and did as the nurse instructed, and felt that she had achieved nothing. _

"_It's alright, first timers usually go on for about twelve hours or so…"_

"_Twelve?!" Cagalli screamed, this time it was not because of pain. She didn't have twelve hours to offer, just as she was about to panic the door burst open, admitting a azure-haired man with a flushed face._

_He made his way towards her unsteadily, still panting hard, he struggled to explain in a rush as he came to her side, "I'm sorry, I was caught in a jam…"_

"_You took a car..?"_

"_No, I ran here." _

_Her eyes widened most uncharacteristically, and stuttered weakly, "…That…that explains…" She grimaced as the throbbing pain started again, Athrun gripped her hand and asked in alarm, "You okay?"_

_It was one of those few moments when Cagalli didn't feel as if she was in control, and in a sense she didn't want to be. She felt as if she might die. She shook her head, feeling like she was drifting away. Athrun gazed at her helplessly, and pressed her hand towards his chest, as if to lend her his strength. "Don't give up, I'll be with you."_

"_But…but it hurts!" she yelled, tears brimmed in her eyes. She squeezed them shut and the tears overflowed. _

"_I know it hurts…I know how hard you have been working…" he said gently but firmly as he stroked her damp golden hair, "Don't give up now, please. For me?" _

_She studied him as she bit her lip, resisting the urge to pout. His touch was hot and firm. He had a way of convincing people, and that was one of the reasons why he's the first person who ever won her in arguments._

"_So…so you realized I'm doing this for you?!"_

_He smiled and nodded, "Remember the deal?"  
_

"_Of course." She cried as she grinds her teeth and took a deep breath, determined to go on. _

"Miss Athha?"

She blinked, surprised that she was daydreaming in the middle of a meeting with the emirs. The had gathered in a room in Orb, and was determined on having a long distance conference call with their leader, the sovereign of the vast and diversified Orb Union. But Cagalli realized she wasn't really listening, the primary reason being she did not really want to hear whatever they are saying. Most were nearly the same; scrap the treaty, return to Orb, leave Athrun in the lurch, abandon looking for her daughter. (Not that they know her daughter)

"Madam, the situation in PLANTs is extremely unstable! As you well know, Chairman Zala is now an alleged murderer who killed twenty thousand of his own people…And…"

"Athrun is not a murderer." She retorted.

"Of course not." He agreed quickly, and added, "I'd expect no different from someone who has been friends with the late Chairman…"

"M'lady." Another interjected quickly before Cagalli could take offence. "It may seem cruel, even unreasonable to take leave of Chairman Zala and his office for now. The EAF has declared war, and tensions will rise on both sides. It's therefore imperative that you return to set things right. Declare that Orb has nothing to do with the attack on the federation ships in space…"

"What are you saying, that I…?"

"I'm saying." He interrupted her again, "That if anyone breathes a word about your mere presence on the Zaft fleet…Orb will be implicated. And all our years of hard work, servitude, will be dashed in that one instant."

"What are you suggesting?"

"That you deem it priority to return to Orb immediately."

"And leave Athrun to die?!" Everyone turned at the voice, and Kisaki quickly cupped a hand over his mouth. He had been in the same room as the emirs, and couldn't help speaking up for the blur, gullible guy in trouble. Cagalli was momentarily stunned, but smiled a bit as she looked back at the first man as he added quickly.

"It is obviously unclear whether Chairman Zala is in any mortal peril."

"Oh, he is." Cagalli replied, "Cause Supreme Councilor Jule is positively murderous by now."

That got a snigger from the older emirs, and the younger ones snorted, all attempting to hide their laughter. The one hiding beside the door behind Cagalli laughed quietly.

"Athrun is my friend." She lied, "And I will get to the bottom of this. There's more than meets the eye, and things are more apparent here in space. I'll be back in Orb by next Monday. I don't believe Athrun did all this. And if I find him, he tells me he did it. I will forsake PLANTs, him, and all."

"But that's unwise…!!"

"Your so-called wisdom is to leave our friends in the lurch?" Cagalli added darkly. "Athrun Zala _will_ be found. And the truth _will_ come to light, if the gods smiles over us."

"I'm afraid the gods are already toying with us…"

"Then let them."

_I'll find him, I must. And I will…_

_Even if it means just bringing his dead body back…_

---

"Meyrin!" came the voice over the phone, Meyrin almost jumped out of her skin as she gripped the phone in her hands, "L…Linda? How did you find me?"

"From our supervisor." She replied simply, "He told me you're with the rescue fleet. All that is unimportant." She added quickly, unable to contain her excitement, she blurted out, "Guess what."

"What?"

"I met him."

Meyrin was speechless, she waited as the bimbo on the phone ranted on. "I tell you, he wasn't conscious when they brought him onboard, and didn't really look like he is in the best of health. But MAN! He looks so good! He's prettier than the magazines can describe!"

"Linda…" Meyrin quickly interjected with a short sigh, "I'm sure you did not call me to tell me about some new crush of yours…"

"SOME. New. Crush?!" She questioned dramatically, "You totally insult him! He's not just one of my infatuations. He IS for real!"

"You've said the same regarding about like…six hundred guys." She replied impatiently, "And counting."

"Ridiculous!" She squealed, Meyrin could imagine her pouting and shuddered. She added, "I don't think you know whom I'm talking about."

"You're right, I don't. Which of the six hundred were you referring to?"

"He's not in the six hundred…" Linda replied mysteriously, feeling as if she had an edge over Meyrin again. "His name starts with the letter 'A'…"

It was as if something smacked her head and left a souvenir inside, her heartbeat quickened as she tried to keep her voice leveled as she spoke into the receiver. "You're with him in a spacecraft…"

"Well, yes." She said happily, "with a couple of other people of course. But…" She paused, and smiled. "…I've won, Meyrin. I've made contact first."

"…It's only the first step." Meyrin pointed out, trying not to sound annoyed.

"First steps are often the determining factors." She replied airily, "And you better not forget what you promised. If I finish this assignment before you, you shall pack your bags and get out of my sight. You deserve it for getting in my way time after time."

"Same to you, Linda."

"Careful what you say, little b----."

Meyrin felt blood rushing to her face, but bit her lip as she replied, "You have contacts, I'll just tell boss you didn't win fair and square."

"Contacts?" she snorted, "Aren't you on the space cruiser because of your so-called 'contacts'?"

"Come on, you like competition. At least tell me where you are…"

"Why should I?"

"It makes you feel better, right?"

"…I supposed I could drop a hint or two…" She replied uncertainly.

"_com'on…" Meyrin bit her lip and baited her 'friend'._

---

"I am going to go on searching for Zala, help me or stay out of my way." Yzak stated flatly, hoping to thwart all those who are still indecisive.

"I'm coming." Cagalli said immediately, no problems there.

"I'm coming too…" Kira said.

"Me, ME!" Maximillion shouted, Yzak wisely chose to ignore him as he looked at Shinn, who reacted immediately and demanded, "WHAT?!"

"I want to go." Lunamaira said as Shinn ranted, (Hey, what's with the look? You bloody Councilor! I'm going whether you like it or not! I'd see how you'd stop me…LOOK HERE When I'm talking to you! Hey…!……etc, etc)

Yzak hesitated for a while, before mentioning, "Mr Hawke…"

"My father is dead." Luna replied emotionlessly, and Shinn stopped yelling. "My mother told me this morning…"

Everyone stared, Luna did not cry, and would not do so. Instead, she distracted herself by continuing quietly. "I don't believe Athrun did this. And the only way to prove to my mother that Athrun is no murderer is to find him." Her words carried such an edge that Shinn flinched in spite of himself, marveling at Luna's seeming calmness and rational. Her blue eyes screamed revenge, but she spoke otherwise. "And if Athrun indeed admit that he killed my father…" She bit her lip in frustration, as if the mere thought was unthinkable. "Then it will be an eye for an eye."

"Fair enough." Dearka said.

"You've been recalled." Yzak stated plainly.

"What?!" Shinn yelled.

"_Captain Lunamairia Hawke has been recalled to take a month long break in mourning_. By order of the military welfare committee." Dearka recited unenthusiastically, "it came to us just now."

Luna stared at the floor, becoming quiet, Shinn gazed at her helplessly, resisting the urge to throw his arms around her slender frame.

Spencer Gladys was surprisingly quiet, and Yzak turned to him. "It's not your fault. It's his."

He didn't have to name the person for people to understand. Yzak ignored it all as if there were only the two of them in the room. "If you don't like where you're going. Change directions."

Translation: If you think your trust in Athrun is ill-placed, you're not alone. Do what you deem fit. I won't bite, I'd rather you slap yourself if you must.

"I…" he replied hesitantly as he did a half-hearted salute, "Supreme councilor Jule, I would like to go back to PLANTs."

_No surprises there._

"Me, me!" There was one last protesting hand that shot up in the air. Dearka chuckled and Yzak groaned; Cagalli couldn't help swelling with a tinge of pride.

"Yes, **Max**imillion? Tell me why you should go too?" Yzak answered professionally, Max's hand faltered for a moment as he conjured up a reason.

"…Cause I know where my sister is!"

Kira raised an eyebrow, Dearka snorted; the triplets stared with a loud unanimous 'Oh'. Cagalli and Yzak frowned. Shiho really wanted to laugh, because Maximillion looked so convinced and so adorable when he said that, but seeing Yzak's disapproval made her hold back a chortle. She resisted the urge to just go up and pinch the little boy's cheeks as she straightened up. Resolving she'll do it once Yzak is not looking…

"Okay…" Yzak uttered, totally unconvinced. "How about a little proof, where?" he paused as he leaned on his cheek lazily on his palm, it was unbecoming of a Supreme Council member but he didn't care. "Where is your sister?"

Max grinned, and closed his eyes briefly. Half a minute passed in this manner and just when everyone thought he was asleep he opened his brilliant green eyes and pointed upward. "There." He declared with a satisfied smile, "About…erm, one eighth the distance between earth and PLANTs from here…"

Just then the door behind Yzak slammed open, admitting a flustered looking Meyrin; her face flushed. She searched the faces of those present as she yelled, "I know where Athrun is! He's on a ZAFT ship currently docking in space level…"

Everyone held their breaths as she shouted out the space coordinates. "Shiho." Dearka said, and she began typing furiously, checking the ship register and space GPS. She narrowed down the sphere bit by bit, it was a laborious process and she had to be careful not to misinterpret anything.

And viola, a hit.

There was but one ship in that vicinity.

"Mobius class ship…" she breathed, "Flagship Ragnorok."

---

_Stupid woman…_

He was merely thinking to himself, but outwardly he ensured his expression remained as smooth and as undisturbed as always. Like **the** classic Kira Yamato. But the circumstances has changed. Someone found out the where-abouts of their precious Athrun, it were might as well. For he was growing tired to be found in the company of these hypocrites, a change require improvisation; which will give him a chance to get away.

"I'm going back too…to PLANTs."

"K…kira?" Cagalli uttered, obviously surprised. Yzak eyebrows quirked up by a centimeter or so, apparently surprised at his sudden change of mind.

"I'm worried for Lacus…"

"Why?" Dearka couldn't help asking with a lifted eyebrow, "She doesn't seem to be in any danger."

"Athrun was in Aprilius in that footage…" Kira explained hurriedly, "I think…that the real culprit who kidnapped Athrun in the first place is still in Aprilius."

"Reasonable conclusion." Belle muttered, though no one knew which of the triplet she was. "Then…what of the three of us? Do we head back and hope that Mr Zala is there?"

"Miss Bethany?" Kira uttered, "I think its better that you guys go on searching. After such a big blowout, they won't leave Athrun in Aprilius for people to find."

"I'm not Bethany…" Belle protested.

"I am. But good point there." Bethany replied with a sharp salute, "Mr Jule, the three of us are coming to help."

_More like help give me a headache. _

Yzak muttered to himself, he sometimes wondered if he had double-or rather, triple-vision when three of they appear together.

He shook the thought off as he looked at 'Kira', who held Yzak's gaze as though he was the kind, old ice-cream man. In a controlled voice Yzak consented, "You have a point, go back to your wife."

"Thank you." He replied evenly, with a small, earnest smile artificially favoured with just a tinge of worry. He was a good actor, good enough to get away with mimicking the infamous Kira Yamato right under the noses of his family and friends.

Inwardly, he smiled a smile of triumph.

_Checkmate._

_---_

Author's note: This is first Athrun-less chapter I wrote. No, Athrun is not dead. I may be sadistic but I'm not kind enough to let him die within the first seven chapters. He'll be seen hopping around and very much alive in the next chapter. And the flashback is sort of a side story, and I was so inspired when I witnessed a child birth. It made me love my mother more. Who wanna know Cagalli or Athrun won the bet? Haha, answer found in the next chapter. Kira? He's on earth, rescued by another character we are all familiar with. Who? Hee, guess. Chapter next will be up pretty soon.


	9. Chapter 9: Repose

Chapter nine: Repose

_"...We couldn't tell you, because we had to protect you..." -Athrun Zala & Cagalli Yula Athha_

---

"Max, eat." Cagalli pressed as she lifted the spoonful of rice towards his mouth, he remained seated, and refused even to lift a finger. Usually he need not be fed, but today, he refused to touch anything Cagalli has touched. He folded his arms in frustration, and turned to look away from Cagalli.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, her patience waning slowly.

"…No one believes me!" He uttered slowly, and bit his lip. "You guys only believed when big sister Meyrin told you where big brother and Marlene is, no one believed me."

"I believe you." She lied immediately.

"You didn't." he insisted, his tone reproachful, the small teardrops in his eyes wrenching Cagalli's heart; tearing it inside out.

"…You're right, I didn't." Cagalli admitted with a sigh, then quickly changing strategies to catch Max unaware, she pressed "EAT!"

"I don't want to!" he yelled back, and added, "You're not my mother, don't order me around."

Cagalli stiffened, the words stung, and just stabbed her through.

Momentarily, she didn't know how to reply…She couldn't tell him the truth, nor could she pretend it didn't hurt because it did.

Silently, she placed the tray of food aside and stood up, turning her back on the boy; she left wordlessly.

Maximillion stared as the door slid shut behind her…

---

_She was really bleeding…_

_Athrun gulped, feeling sick to the stomach. The sight and smell of blood filling his senses, and he realized he needed to grab on to Cagalli's hand as much as she needed his. He had seen blood, definitely. But this was the first time he felt light headed at the sight of it. He was almost oblivious to the nurse's loud command of, "Push, it's coming out!"_

_Cagalli cried out in pain as she gave Athrun's hand a firm squeeze, and Athrun squeezed back in return, not knowing what else to do to calm himself. He hated to admit it, but at that moment he was feeling cold and frightened, for both his wife and himself. _

"_The head! I can see the head!" The nurse yelled, Cagalli was apparently heartened and encouraged for she bit her lip and tried. Athrun chanced a look, catching sight of a reddish beige dome peeking out from the hem of Cagalli's skirt. He turned away quickly then, afraid that he might really pass out if he continued looking. Instead he turned to his wife, "Cagalli. Com'on!"_

_Cagalli didn't know why, but Athrun was holding her hand so hard that it was starting to hurt. She decided to convert the pain to strength and she did as she was told. _

_With a 'slop', kinda like a piece of soap slipping out of your hand in the bathroom; the baby entered the world. The baby didn't look like a baby on photographs and posters at all. It's skin was wrinkly and bluish, and covered with dark blood and amniotic fluid; and tangled up with an umbilical cord. The doctor uncoiled the cord as the little ugly one started crying, clipped the cord and severed the vessel with a decisive cut of a pair of surgical scissors. More blood spurted out then and Athrun squeezed his eyes shut involuntarily, listening half-heartedly as the staff declared, "It's a boy!" _

"_Athrun! Boy!" she yelled unnecessary._

"_No matter…" he panted, "At least I passed, right…?"_

_He was talking more to himself as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand; allowing himself the liberty of a small sigh of relief. Cagalli smiled a little, for Athrun was pale and looked like he was on the verge of fainting. It was a first to see him so terrified, and all the while she thought nearly nothing scares him. _

_But then the nurse shouted again, "There's another one...!"_

_Athruns' eyes widened, and so did Cagalli._

"_What?!" The couple screamed unanimously, for different reasons. _

_Apparently this time was easier, and faster; for Cagalli was agitated and confused. Two sounds were heard as the second baby arrived into the world. _

_One was a neat and clean, 'slop' as the little girl slipped from her womb into the doctor's arms, like the first; all bloody and mangled like the first. The second was a loud and resounding 'thud' signifying a certain person hitting the ground. _

"_Athrun…!" Cagalli watched in slow motion as his grip loosened, his head lolled sideways and he just kinda gave way._

_The doctor saw, wasn't alarmed, and gave her a warm and professional smile as he muttered, "60 percent men do that in the delivery room, don't worry."_

_She nodded wearily with a weak smile. _

_---_

He remembered waking up in a room later, awakened by Cagalli's kiss. With her combing through his hair fondly and gloating about how the kid -correction- the kids will be named. It was a horribly erred decision not to go for screening before she gave birth.

He knew he was dreaming, dreaming of one of the wackiest episodes of his life.

To this day he still couldn't believe he actually fainted; not to mention he had to beg and bribe Cagalli not to tell Dearka and Yzak.

Wacky as it was, Athrun had to admit that it was one of the more fond memories when he could look back, replay in his mind's eye, and have a quiet chuckle.

He didn't want to stop dreaming. For he knew subconsciously that if he dreamt, Tad Elthman had let him live by some miracle. And if he lived, it will start hurting the moment he wakes up. He's not supposed to be alive, and if he was still alive, the price was usually gargantuan amounts of pain in the event of consciousness.

In contrast, pure bliss was found in those moments; and he felt as if he was watching one of those drama serials, and he really was hooked up to seeing the next part.

The next part came, vividly. Someone kissed him, deep and hard. Oddly enough it was warm, but foreign. Sweet but uninviting. He frowned, not recognizing the pair of lips at all.

_It's not Cagalli…_

All his senses screamed out in alarm now and he forced his eyes to open as he pulled away forcibly, gasping.

There was a young woman came into focus in front of him, she was beautiful to behold. Her dark, long hair set in lustrous ceramic perms curled and meandered down the side of her face, tickling the side of Athrun face. Her face could be described by nothing less than angelic, large beautiful blue eyes framed by long eyelashes. A lean nose and a pair of seductive, gleaming red lips. On her ears was a pair of elegant, large, triangle earrings. She smelt like divine, kinda like roses; only much stronger. Athrun looked closer, and found the perfection a little unnerving, she was just, too perfect; too flawless. And after a while, he realized he was looking at the resultant handiwork of plastic surgery.

She looked at Athrun in a way that suggested she was about to devour him. And Athrun shuddered as he discovered she was crouching over him with feline-like grace, and her soft, warm breast pressed against his stomach and a broken rib; separated by her clothes and his. Her palm was on his chest, sliding downwards…To his horror, he found his wrists tied to the bedposts and was completely at the disposal of the woman. The broken arm had no feeling, but the right wrist was a very painful problem. Thankfully, he was still fully clothed. And he realized this wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.

"Erm, Miss…" He stuttered, almost panicking. "Do you mind getting off me? …it hurts."

"Oh." She uttered, "And if I refuse?"

"Please." he said again.

"I don't feel like it…" she said playfully, and her hand reached to touch his face, Athrun stiffened in alarm at the soft and silky gesture. "It's not everyday I get to see and touch you…And, just as promised, not a mark on your face." She whispered in delight, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand.

Athrun frowned at the revelation, and was horrified. He was still in the hands of his enemies, and apparently a gift to this woman from her daddy. Tad Elthman had no daughter. It led Athrun to conclude that someone else was involved, someone rich and powerful. Rich enough to control Tad Elthman, that even in his moment of hatred he kept his promise and abused every part of him but kept his face unmarked. Positively amazing, now that Athrun came to realize it.

There was a rattling of metal bars to his right, and Athrun turned to look, straining against his injured neck. There was a cage, and in the cage frantically shaking the bars was little Marlene. She looked angry as she glared at the woman who was attacking her father…

"Miss, please respect yourself." Athrun said hurriedly, "I don't want to hurt you.", as if empowered by Marlene's protests.

"Hurt me?" She mused, and smiled contently as she bat her eyelids, flaunting her perfection to Athrun. "I would like to see you try." She cupped his face and kissed his jaw, then went on to nibbling his ear. Athrun was blushing madly by now, and the only thing that overwrote his discomfort was his embarrassment.

At that moment he breathed deeply, wrapping himself in a cocoon of deceptive calmness. He resolved to survive the clutches of this woman and make Tad Elthman pay; by hook or by crook.

"You want to make out, don't you?" He asked calmly. She was so surprised she stopped what she was doing and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes; she smiled, like a smoldering temptress, a devil's bride. No warm-blooded man can withstand such treatment and remain unmoved. Athrun was definitely not cold-blooded, but he had his principals and promises to keep; and he intends to adhere to them.

"What if I say 'Yes'?"

"Good, our agendas match." He lied quickly, resisting the urge to throw up. "So can you untie me so we can at least do it properly?"

"Oh, man like you run off the moment they are …unleashed." She touched the tip of his nose playfully; he tried not to shun the contact but thought quickly.

"It's alright then, it's more exciting this way." He replied earneastly. Marlene rattled the bars harder.

"Yes it is." She replied, the mischievous smirk returning to her face.

"Wait a minute." Athrun said hastily, turning to a fuming Marlene, whom unfortunately at the young age of six, could already tell what's going on. "Marlene…Look away."

She shook her head and pointed angrily to the woman still lying on top of Athrun, unlikely to let go. Athrun added, "Trust me…Don't look; I don't want you to see this…"

"Or you'll be traumatized for life…" Linda finished for him. Marlene ignored her, instead blinking once when Athrun said, "_Trust me."_

**_For he was trustworthy. _**

With one last look of warning, she turned from them and sat down.

"…Alright, I'm ready." Athrun continued, "Can you come closer…?" He asked, deliberately lowering his voice as he added saucily, "So that we can start…"

She smiled, falling in love with his naughtiness immediately. She leaned in, expecting a kiss, a real one.

Athrun waited as she drew closer and closer, buying his time, and when she was close enough he reared up suddenly. Knocking his forehead against hers, the impact left him dizzy and in pain, but she was in more pain, for her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed on top of him, causing his wounds to hurt more. Athrun bit his lip as a cascade of pain coursed through his body. Marlene too, heard the knock and turned in alarm, then giggled at Athrun.

Athrun sighed wearily as he gave her something halfway between a smile and a scowl, and then lay down for a few more moments, waiting for the pain to subside. And when he felt clear-headed enough, it was time to find a way to get away.

He looked for something sharp, anything, and found himself staring at those large silver earrings. He held on to the triangular shaft with his teeth, wriggling slowly to loosen the hook from the woman's ear. Than tossed it upwards with enough accuracy that it landed near enough to be grabbed by his injured but still functional hand. He grabbed the earring and saw at the rope then, his torn wrist screaming out in pain murderously. Within twenty minutes, he freed his hands and legs.

He got up stiffly, digging his way out under the weight of the woman; she wasn't terribly heavy, but not terribly light either. He found himself surprisingly limber and lucid for someone with so many injuries all over. Obviously he was not supposed to die, his wounds had been thoroughly attended to, his wrist and arm was swathed in white bandages and so was the most of his torso and neck. An antiseptic patch at his elbow joint indicated that he had been given transfusions, or injections, or both. It still hurts like hell just to move, but it was better than having to lie there like an invalid, thank the heavens Coordinators recover quickly.

Gingerly a hand went to his neck, feeling soft, damp cotton bandages; and he gasped, realizing something was missing. He patted frantically up and down his breastbone, checking for the item, but no hard object was there, even the chain was missing.

He almost panicked then, and it was something he hadn't done in a long, long time. He looked left and right in the dim lighting, searching for the missing item. And breathed a small sigh of utmost relief when he found them sitting obediently on the bedside desk. His wedding ring, and the reddish pendant, both a gift from his wife…

_Cagalli…_

He lifted the chain to face level, as if checking whether the items are authentic, and was mesmerized by the luster of the stone for a while; and watched the dance of lights come alive in the depths of the scarlet hue.

Then slowly, he put it round his neck and tucked the ornaments into his collar safely.

He pulled on his boots quickly, and ran to the little cage, starting to pick the lock with the hooked part of the earring. He tried to keep Marlene patient by asking her, "Hi Marlene…How long was I erm, asleep?"

She blinked, counted off her fingers and held out four fingers. Athrun noticed that there were crayons, and a drawing on the ground obviously given to her to keep her occupied. But when she caught sight of Athrun looking at it, she hid is quickly by hugging the paper.

"Four days, huh…" He said quietly, surprised. She nodded happily as she hurried him with the progress of the lock, clearly distressed of being trapped in such a small space. At the same time utterly fascinated by her father's lock-picking skills.

Luckily for him, the lock was a mechanical device and not an electronic one, his stiff hand worked swiftly, fumbling about the metal piece till he heard a satisfying 'click'. The girl clapped in amazement, and zipped out of the cage into Athrun's arms the moment he opened the door.

The girl was wrapping so urgently about his torso that he almost had no heart to tell her she was hurting him, and she was squishing her drawing; sandwiching it between him and her. He let her be for a while, returning the embrace gently. Patting her small shoulders and stroking her golden hair, he was a happy man at the moment, but the golden hair reminded him of her again. And his smile faded.

"Marlene, it's alright." He said, cupping her to himself as he settled down beside the narrow doorway. She held out a palm again, as if sensing they were going to leave the room soon and telling him to wait. She stuck out her tongue at the unconscious woman, and little bits of spit flew.

"Marlene! You shouldn't do that!" Athrun said reproachfully, like a classic father. Then added, "Try this."

He made a funny face that would have gotten him a distinction in clown academy. Marlene burst out laughing, so he quickly cupped a hand over her mouth. He had heard the indistinct shuffling of feet outside.

There's an old trick in the book, and it will be useful if someone knew the lady was in here, or if there are armed guards outside.

He put a finger to his lips to ask Marlene to keep quiet and stay calm. Then cleared his throat, trying out his voice two octaves higher to hit his falsetto range, took a large gulp of air, and screamed.

His ruse worked, for he heard the sound of an electronic lock being disengaged, the door slid open, admitting a flustered looking Zaft military police who had only eyes for what was happening on the bed.

_And failed to see Athrun's leg at his ankles._

Athrun tripped him, send him into wonderland with a quick rabbit punch to the back of his head. Athrun retrieved the standard Zaft rifle from his limb fingers and gasped in alarm as a shadow loomed over him.

---

Cagalli didn't go far, she just stood on the corridor, dropped her head and sobbed. Slowly allowing her body to sink to the ground as she continued weeping.

---

_There was more than one. And this one saw Athrun. _

Athrun watched in slow motion as the man raised his rifle and clutched the trigger, Athrun had no room to maneuver, no time for remorse. The decision was made in one tenth of a heart beat; his soldier instincts had been honed to perfection, and flared to life suddenly. He clutched Marlene close as he drew and fired in a time that would have shamed most professional hit men. The MP never stood a chance against Athrun Zala with a big gun, firing at point blank range.

There was a loud sound that resounded and echoed down the corridors. And Marlene found her field of vision obscured with dark blood which spurted from the man's chest as he collapsed. His gray eyes were opened and fixed in a look of horror and hatred.

Marlene didn't want to look into those eyes, but the more she wanted to draw away, the more she couldn't.

She knew she'll remember the face of death forever.

---

Max hopped off the bed, and chased after the lady who had always cared for him like a mother. He didn't have to look for too long, he found her crying outside when the door opened. He didn't say much, just wrapped the length of his short, pudgy arms around her neck gently.

Cagalli stopped in mid-sob as Max pouted and whispered, "…I'm sorry, please don't be angry with me." He paused, and she could feel his facial expression changing over her forehead as he pressed fondly toward her, "If…even you don't care about me, no one will. No one will talk to us, or look at us…"

She inhaled sharply as he continued, "We are orphans, other kids have the right to be naughty and unreasonable…because there will always be someone around who is obliged to tolerate their behavior."

He pulled away, looking at her in a small and sad way, "But…"… "…but me and Marlene don't. Mama Lacus, Dada Kira, big brother Athrun, Shinn, hot-headed Uncle Yzak and Mr Elthman, and you… You guys are cool, and all treat us very well, but…if you guys leave, we'll never find another place to call home. You gave us a chance to study, you celebrate our birthdays with us. Don't go please…Don't leave me and Marlene behind. Don't ever…" he paused as he choked on the next word, "Don't ever abandon us, please?"

Cagalli's felt her heart weep. She knew she'll never do that. Her son rejecting her was more painful than she can bear, and she knew the other way round will be the same; or worst… He'll be devastated.

Max cried quietly into her shoulders, "don't ever abandon us, please…"

---

Marlene looked up in fear at the man whom she always adored and respected, and suddenly felt horrified to be even near him. She gave a small yelp as she leapt away from his grasp, wanting nothing but to get away from those terrible hands stained with blood.

_Now he was nothing but a murderer_.

Athrun dropped the gun and held on grimly to Marlene's tiny hand, trying to prevent her from running amok. He could tell she was frightened, but the unspoken fear in her eyes were not directed toward the fallen armed guards, but toward him.

It made him sad in a small but uncanny way. She pressed herself against the wall as she started crying, trying to put as much distance between herself and Athrun.

"Marlene." He said urgently, the gunshot would have attracted attention; by panicking, Marlene was squandering away their precious time to escape, and it was something Athrun couldn't afford at the moment. Unsympathetically he roughly grabbed the girl's hand and hauled her toward himself, but she gave a mighty jerk that sent pain shooting through his broken wrist and he had no choice but to let go; nursing his wrist.

"Marlene, don't be afraid." He said quickly, more gently this time, trying to get through to her before their time runs out. "I won't hurt you…"

She hugged her paper and shook her small round head furiously, indicating she didn't believe him. Athrun caught sight of what was on the paper as she loosened momentarily and he swallowed guiltily. There were four people-or rather, four assemblies of straight lines that resembled people-linking hands. Two tall ones with halos on their heads stood on the sides and two little ones in between. The two girls each have golden pigtails and the guys have three comical looking strands of golden hair sticking out her the top of their heads.

_They were labeled 'Daddy, Marlene, Maximillion, Mummy.' _

Athrun's heart contracted, suddenly comprehending the fear and trauma the girl is going through.

And slowly he said, "Marlene. Listen to me."

---

Cagalli felt her heart in her throat as she wrapped about the little boy's round, soft tummy, biting her lips in attempt to stem her tears. In a small strangled voice she croaked, "Maximillion, I have something to tell you."

"You have parents…and they are alive."

Marlene and Max both gasped in surprise as Athrun and Cagalli continued quickly.

"…We didn't tell you because we had to protect you…"

Athrun pointed at the tall person with a pigtail on the drawing and whispered in a small voice. '_Cagalli'_

Cagalli's voice cracked as she told the little boy, "I'm your mother…the real one, the biological one." She added unnecessary.

Marlene's eyes widened in comprehension. Max stared, and opened his mouth, jabbering like a goldfish. In a quiet tone he croaked, "So big brother Athrun who is your boyfriend is my…"

_Father…_

Marlene lifted the picture, and looked pointedly at Athrun, trying to match the thought to the person.

She had always thought her father will have golden hair too. Running back to the crayons, she selected the blue one; one that she thought matches Athrun's hair colour most accurately. She shaded over the three golden hairs on the tall person's head; smudging away the halos while she was at it.

And then showed it to Athrun, asking if she comprehended correctly.

Athrun took a short look and hid a smile as he nodded before adding, "I cannot say…" he paused, swallowing a grimace, "…that I haven't killed. I cannot claim that my hands are not stained with blood. But…" he looked into Marlene's eyes with his emerald green ones, "I won't hurt you, promise."

Marlene knew he was telling the truth, for sister Cagalli(excuse me…) mother always told her big brother Athrun has beautiful eyes that could talk. And apparently it is very true…

"I will protect you."

Subconsciously, she allowed herself to wander near to Athrun and obediently allowed herself to be steered away as more angry shouts approached.

---

"Tell me more, tell me more!" Max cheered as he fed himself while forcing Cagalli to tell him everything.

---

"For the three of you who are heading back…" Yzak began slowly. They were in the observatory, Yzak had called them there. "Be careful, they might conduct searches on you guys just to spite us. I received news, four Supreme Councilors died on Janurius already, them and most of the people who are aware of their location. I might be next…" he added jokily. Then turned to Spencer, "Especially you."

Spencer didn't understand and it must have shown on his face, because Yzak growled impatiently, "You have more power than you can imagine…"

Yzak had heard Yamato mentioning it before, Kira calls it a 'break seed'. Though he explained it many times, Yzak can never comprehend the totality of that extend of power and summation of sensations. He believes he never will; till he experiences it himself. But looking at the stats released from that one battle, Spencer Gladys appeared to possess and is able to unleash the seed factor when in need. Lacus Clyne, Shinn and Cagalli Yula Athha described similar experiences, even Athrun Zala, and he wondered if it will ever be his turn.

He pushed the thought away as he said simply to Luna with a slight nod and pressed something into her hands, it was all he could manage.

"Condolences." He said shortly.

She looked at him, totally stunned momentarily as she struggled to think as she clutched at the paper. Then saluted the senior officer.

The two of them left first, leaving Yzak alone with Kira.

Yzak folded his arms, as usual and looked at Kira; who actually braved his stare that could gore through walls.

From behind him, Yzak retrieved a packaged wrapped up with white cloth and hand it to Kira. Kira took over silently, feeling the weighty parcel sink his hands by a centimeter or two; gazing inquisitively back at Yzak. Yzak said, "Open it."

He did as he was told, and was alarmed to find a gun within.

"This is Deraka's." Yzak told him simply, "Keep it with you, it might come in handy."

Kira stood dumb-founded, as would anyone when they are offered a gun wrapped up in sack cloth. Inwardly he was torn, and having an intense mental debate on whether to accept it or not. Yzak studied Kira out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Orb officer thinking, negotiating with himself. Finally Kira handed back the package with a small, "I don't want it. I don't know how…"

Yzak smiled most uncharacteristically, as if he just punched Athrun Zala in the face. "Finally. Imposter."

_Checkmate._

---

Haiz, this chapter took so long. Thanks for waiting! The kids finally have parents, yea! Yzak's and Spencer's role will become more erm, prominent from this chapter onwards, and will Athrun manage to escape? For this fic, each chapter is quite long, can you guys do me a favour by giving me some feedback? Is the chapters too long? Wait too long?

Also I will apologize to the person who called me a f---ing bitch. I must have caused you a great amount ot distress for you to blow up like that. No one else around me has ever addressed me with such a rude term.

So till chapter next!

cheers, Ming


	10. Chapter 10:Escape

Chapter 10: Escape

"**Remember, you are ****the**** Athrun Zala!"-Lacus Clyne**

It was dark, and quiet in the room.

"Wha…?" He muttered quickly as his heart raced, Yzak Jule must not have known. "What did you call me?"

"I'm sure you can hear me fine, coordinator." Yzak snapped impatiently, "You're not Yamato."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's true that Kira doesn't really know how to use a gun, nor is he truly fond of them and will never hold one for more than a few seconds, but you know something…?"

Kira remained silent.

"This IS Dearka's gun. It was given to Kira when Athrun was kidnapped." A pause there. "...not that you know."

His eyes widened after a few more moments, and a red hue gathered on his face. "You…!"

"I stole it from your room three days ago…" Yzak replied lazily, "Angry I see, of course. You're an assassin by profession. Having no weapon must have caused you a great deal of frustration, so you never thought of returning it…"

"What did you do with it…" Kira asked calmly, still refusing the surrender as Yzak pranced about, as if telling an extra long story.

"I took it, and checked it for fingerprints. You wanna guess what I found?"

"…My fingerprints. Of course." Kira replied hesitantly.

"Nope. There was none."

"And that's normal, right?"

Yzak shook his head, "Since the day we attacked the Canine and Wolfstag, I knew something was wrong. I smelt a spied onboard. Misleading us, thwarting our efforts, trying to lead us to our deaths. You almost succeeded." Yzak's aquamarine eyes flashed cold and merciless as he gazed at 'Kira'.

"You wiped the gun clean of fingerprints because yours will not be identical, you were very meticulous, but that also lead me to confirm that you're not him. Kira loses his stuff more than he loses his way…"

Yzak smiled, then slowly and silently, his hand reached towards 'Kira's' cheek, Kira stood still, and refuse to appear intimidated. and rested where there was a cotton gauze stuck to his face. On the supposed wound from the time Athrun got kidnapped.

"This is the final proof."

With a swift action he ripped the gauze off, Kira gasped, but reacted quickly by covering one hand over the wound.

"How can a clean gun tell you something like that?! I'm Kira Yamato." Kira shouted, flustered.

"And I'm Athrun Zala." Yzak retorted coolly as he advanced toward the imposter, "You probably kidnapped Athrun, saw the real Kira, did something to him and took all his stuff without asking where this gun came from. Not that it were important, you were happy with a weapon at hand." Yzak's eyes flashed dangerously, his voice still small and controlled, "Then you had a small confrontation with Athrun. You gave us the wrong information regarding the EAF ships, causing us to attack. Then you went abroad that ship to run an errand, probably deliver something. Then head back and said you cannot find Athrun. No one questioned you because they trusted you, Yamato was never one who lies…unlike us politicians."

He was impressed, very much so for the guess was not far from the truth. He assumed Athrun Zala to be the brains behind the leadership, but man he was wrong. Yzak Jule is more than he seems.

_And he liked it._

_---_

Marlene was trying not to scream as the gunshots sounded nearer and nearer, one finally hitting the floor on her previous path; and would hand been hit if Athrun hadn't yanked her out of the way. Athrun didn't use the gun, first because he had to conserve the ammunition and second because it will clearly creep Marlene out and the last thing he needed now was to be separated from her. No one needs to die.

Sirens sounded shrilly out around him, chaos ran in the wake of his heavy footsteps. His head spun as his body tissues screamed out in fatigue and oxygen-deprivation. Every step hurt, but every agonizing step also kept him and Marlene alive. He refused to give in to the pain, he refused to allow himself to die now. And would not allow anyone to take Marlene either.

He chanced a look at the little girl now, her eyes were wide. Athrun had seen that look in the eyes of battle-stressed officers before, it was soon approaching panic, and he knew he had to get them out of there soon. Nevertheless he was proud of her calmness.

Just as they rounded the corner, his path was blocked by two Zaft MP's with their guns raised. But before they had time to inhale, Athrun had already put a bullet through both their legs and then a firm kick each to their temples, then its nighty night. The ones who caught up from behind were not so lucky.

Athrun swore under his breath as he placed himself in front of Marlene. Same narrow corridor tactics, he disarm the first one and killed the second one successively. The third one stood surprised for a moment then quickly drew a dagger as the fourth one lunged forward, thrusting himself towards Athrun. Athrun aimed and fired, killing the fourth man, Marlene screamed, pointing at the third man, and he couldn't react in time as the man slashed him across the cheek diagonally upwards. He watched in horror as the keen blade approached his left eye in slow motion, then it went black.

---

'Kira' raised his hands, and applauded slowly, the sound echoing round the hollow space. And indeed, the scar on his face was not of Kira's, but three scratch marks and a slice mark that overlapped the three.

"Very good, Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule." He said sappily, "Bingo."

Yzak growled threateningly, letting his anger get the better of him; he's been reining it back for long enough. It is time to start breaking things; a few bones are a good place to start. "Who are you?!"

"A good old Coordinator."

"A clone?!" Yzak demanded as he drew a gun from within his suit.

A flash of anger was seen in the other man's purple orbs, and Yzak smiled, they always hated that word when it best describes them.

"I see I've guessed correctly again." He said airily. "You've met Athrun, and Kira then…"

"Yes…and Chairman Zala does not have a gun with him." He stated explicitly, "He would have been so much more fun."

"What did you do with him?!" Yzak demanded through gritted teeth.

"He's alive." He paused, "…though I don't know for how much longer in the hands of Mikagami."

"Mikagami?" It was a name, a clue.

"Opps, I let it slip." He said, unfettered. Obviously it was an intentional act. "And how is it you have a gun with you, Mr Jule. It is obviously a serious breech of protocol. For a good old politician." He added.

"This?" he mused, "Is Athrun's gun." The other man frowned.

"You've met him." Yzak said simply, "This is the kind of thing he does."

The assailant continued frowning, not catching Yzak's drift.

Yzak smiled in obvious delight. "He gave me this…when he became Chairman." Yzak paused, letting the sentence sink in, "He says if he ever becomes someone who kills Naturals without thought. If he ever steps onto the wrong path; the one Patrick Zala chose and become like Patrick Zala, I'm to stop him. He…" Yzak paused thoughtfully as his ears started turning pink and his speech faltered slightly. He couldn't resist asking, he just couldn't.

"So will you kill Chairman Zala? In the event he… admits that he blew Janurius."

Yzak nodded curtly. "He's a good Chairman. Though I will never admit it to his face. Even if he is an emotional idiot, I guarantee that in terms of devotion and contribution, he is second to none."

His purple orbs widened.

"The saying goes, 'Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Everyone must have thought I was kidding. I'm angry, mad at what happened on Janurius. And if I find him and he dares admit that he destroyed Janurius, I'll put a bullet through his heart." Yzak smiled again, "You're a smart man, do you know why I didn't just kill you when I found out?"

"Because you want me to tell you my identity and who sent me."

"Correct." Yzak replied coolly, apparently satisfied. But it was then the imposter drew back the safety catch of the gun and pointed it at Yzak head as Yzak pointed back.

"And tell me why you think I shouldn't just kill you when I have a gun?"

"Because there are three people outside waiting for a gunshot. I told Shiho and Dearka, and the captain of this ship. If I died, you won't be leaving this vessel alive." Yzak declared.

"Indeed?"

"Yes." Yzak said confidently, "Actually, most of it was just a hypothesis. My guess. You fell for it and tittered anyway…"

The revelation sank in slowly, and he cursed under his breath. "You fricking son of a bitch, then how did you…?"

"I did some maintenance, for Tori. You wondered where it went?" Yzak replied swiftly. "The bird's a pearl, its memory showed me everything, and apparently you can't get rid of it cause Kira doesn't go anywhere without the bird. I set free a dozen on every PLANTs, just for fun."

'Kira' smiled a vampire smile, one that sent shivers up Yzak's spine. A bead of sweat trailed down his temple, he was nervous but he tried not to show it. The man is up to something…

"Do you indeed think you've won, Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule?!" he shouted hotly.

'Kira' fired. Nothing came out of the gun.

"Indeed." Yzak replied with one of his vampire smiles this time, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Just then, something flew in his direction so quickly that it singed his right hand, and flashed past his eyes before slicing into the wall behind. It was a white dagger which looked vaguely familiar.

_It was Athrun's…_

Yzak realized in horror as the man took his moment of distraction to his advantage, he grabbed the gun by the barrel and twisted it from Yzak's bloody hand. Swiftly catching it and turning it back towards its owner. He then gripped Yzak wrist and pulled his arm behind him, all the way up. Yzak gasped as his shoulder joint screamed out in pain at the abuse. The clone was behind him, gripping firmly to his wrist, threatening to dislocate his arm.

"I like you." He whispered behind his ear, Yzak shivered as he gritted his teeth and thrashed, the Kira clone gave another tug in warning. Yzak stiffened in pain, but let out a reply of disgust. 'Kira' continued silkily, why hurry?

"You have nothing to gain, but taste death and despair by remaining where you are…Your brains will get you to a higher place, a place of fame and glory."

Yzak gave a small grimace as his arm was wringed and the man whispered down his neck, "Join us, and your life will not waste away…"

"Shut up!" Yzak shouted, biting his lip.

"Aren't you at least gonna consider? Hmm, you could have a good future…"

"I said SHUDDUP!! You …!!"

"Fine…" He interrupted, "Have it your way…And you know what, as a reward for foiling my plans…I'll kill your family myself. What do you think of that?"

Yzak's blue eyes widened, for he knew this was no empty threat. The man had meant every letter. He had proven that he was a murderer through and through.

"If you even lay a finger…!!"

"Make me…All you have to do is to say the word. Why? Why are you so insistent in adhering to the empty promises of one man? Why are you doing something so stupid…and mundane just for one Athrun Zala? When you deserved so much more, when you are capable of some much more…"

Yzak looked at his with uttermost disdain and disbelief, as if berating him for being stupid and hence forcing Yzak to spell it out. He forced a bark that is supposed to be a laugh, and he added more awkwardly than softly. "That is something you'll never understand because you don't have the misfortune falling on your door step."

Amused, he whispered, "Go on, explain your misfortune…"

Yzak looked behind as he trashed one last time and gave a small bitter laugh, and in a small but triumphing voice he said, "…Because Athrun is my friend."

The man paused, considered the statement, almost letting the smile slip from his face. Yzak cocked a smiled this time, it was all he could manage. He'd rather jump into a bear pit dressed as a mermaid than to ever repeat the same words to Athrun. But there, he said it.

**Because Athrun's my friend…and you're not. **

He decided that he didn't like what Yzak is saying.

The enraged man pulled Yzak's arm upwards so quickly and forcibly that a small decisive 'pop' was heard as the bone popped out of its socket.

Yzak felt pain sear through his shoulder and chest like liquid fire, but couldn't even scream as the man delivered a mercilessly hard blow to his temple. Rendering him more or less unconscious…

"Many ways to skin a cat." Light Yagami sighed contently as Yzak's limp frame sagged heavily against him. He readied his hostage by pointing a gun at Yzak's ear, and walked out brazenly, dragging Yzak with him.

---

Locks of severed blue hair drifted up his field of vision…

Vision was gone from his left eye, accompanied by a bout of white, hot blinding pain. With his other eye, he could still make out the blur of a silver and orange silhouette of a man holding his gun, stepping over him as he lay writhing on the floor, fighting the pain. He realized he was gazing upwards at a red uniform. A sliver of light was caught in the edge of the bloodied dagger, and reflected mercilessly off the blade.

Athrun groped around for the gun, and was still not able to find it as the man trusted the dagger towards Marlene's heart. Athrun had no choice but to resort to the most evil method to disarm any man.

His leg snapped out blindly, kicking the man soundly at the V-region between the legs. The man gave a loud, "Oof", indicating that his attack had met its mark. The man fell then, both hands clutching his groin as he dropped his dagger. And Marlene inched out the way. Athrun knew it was both painful and humiliating to the red uniform, but he wasn't about to regret it.

As a last straw, the man picked up the dagger he dropped, and plunged it towards Athrun this time…

There was a flash of green that rounded the corner, indicating the presence of a new invader, and Athrun had no time to worry about her as his fingers enclosed around the trigger. He aimed briefly at the red uniform, but a nanosecond before he fired, Marlene was pulled forward within his firing aim to act as a shield.

_Despicable._

Something else odd happened then- the green uniform snatched something from the floor and delivered a blow to the red uniform's head, and this time he fell to the ground will a dull 'thud'. Marlene shrugged his hands off.

"Athrun?"

The voice nearly caused him to faint and it definitely made him stop, it was a bell-like voice that chimed sweetly in the surrounding air, and he had been listening to that voice since he was fourteen. That voice was the mark of her fame in PLANTs. He never imagined he'd hear her voice again.

"L…Lacus? Is it you…?"

"Yes." She replied hurriedly as she threw away whatever she was holding, alarmed. She came forward after giving Marlene a big, reassuring hug and squat to examine his face. "You're bleeding! Don't move."

"I know…" He replied wearily, suddenly he didn't feel like he could stay awake anymore. He felt the strength drain from him limbs like water down the drain as blood flowed down his face, he leaned against the wall slowly, allowing himself the luxury of a little rest. It was as if Lacus's timely appearance was permission for him to relax…

He gazed up at her, noting that her pink hair was tied neatly in a tight bun and not a strand was sticking out of place. Her hair tying skills are pure talent. She was dressed in a set of Zaft green uniform and looking every bit like a military woman, he asked, "How did you get that?"

Lacus folded a length of gauze and pressed it over his left eye hastily, blood was already dripping down his chin. She managed a small laugh, "Black market product." She cupped his left palm over the handkerchief and instructed, "Hold it there, and apply pressure."

"…kay." He responded obediently.

From one look, Lacus could tell that he was in bad shape. If she disregarded the bandages, the new wound on his face was deep and pulsing blood. She was afraid that he might not be able to see with that eye again. The thought was petrifying, bone-chilling. But she forced herself to continue, not wanting her fears to be conveyed to Athrun. He has enough reasons to panic already.

"You woke up two days ahead of schedule. I was about to lay my hands on the mobile suit start-up chips when the alert sounded…"

Athrun frowned, not comprehending the sentence. This gesture caused half of his face to hurt terribly and he grimaced, the pain became worst. And it spread like wild fire. "Lacus…?"

"Yes?"

"You…were …_stealing_ start-up chips."

"Well, yeah." She admitted without a single ounce of guilt, "But I didn't succeed."

"Why are you on this ship in the first place?"

"You know me…I like to be…on top of things." She replied airily, catching his eye then, "My turn to ask questions. Answer me honestly." She paused, and Athrun could guess what she wanted to say.

"Janurius. Did you…"

"I didn't."

"Fine. I believe you."

"…Just like that?" He asked in spite of himself.

"I saw the telecast, I didn't know what you chose in the end, nobody did…" Her fingers that were working to examine Athrun's eye faltered for a moment, then resumed action. "But now I know what happened to Janurius is not your fault."

Athrun's heart skipped a beat.

_Come to think of it, he didn't die, neither did Marlene…and that can only mean…_

"Janurius?" He rasped, "What happened to Janurius?!"

Lacus's blue eyes widened, realizing she told him something he didn't know, and maybe he shouldn't have found out. Not this way…

"What happened?!" He pressed, her silence confirming his worst fear.

She abruptly changed the subject, "We have to go, come with me." She said as she grabbed his arm and helped him to his feet. They broke into a staggering run, and Marlene picked up the rifle and hugged it to herself as she struggled to keep up.

"Good girl." Lacus commended, giving the girl a warm, hearty smile. Marlene did a little skip and tapped the point of her feet together.

"Lacus…" he whispered, unwilling to let the matter go. "Janurius, did I…"

"You didn't." she replied fiercely, the tone of her voice scared Athrun. "You said it yourself."

They had reached what was apparently the docking area, and there were new type suits. "Tell me the truth…" He said impatiently, "Did Janurius really blow up?! How many died…?"

"Shhh!" Lacus hissed, but her eyes were gentle still as she led them on, meandering through the staff unnoticed. And at last they reached a series of identical doors that Athrun realized as escape pods.

Haro then jumped happily out of her pocket and unlocked the door, and it slipped open. She ushered them inside but Athrun had to know.

"Lacus." He said as he gripped her arm firmly. She looked at him then, her beautiful, sky blue eyes gazed into his.

She sighed and bit her lip, knowing Athrun won't let the issue go till he finds out what he needs to. "…22,038."

He held his breath, "All dead."

Athrun felt as if the ground had fallen away sharply beneath his feet. He didn't reply, he couldn't. He stared numbly at the floor, and staggered slightly. Lacus steadied him as far as she could, it was obviously a blow to him, and it confirmed that he really didn't murder.

Athrun was innocent, the setup was to frame him and deface his reputation and smear his name with blood. What better method to bring down a politician? From the looks of his injuries, he had been tortured, and Lacus felt her blood pressure rise. Whoever did this to him will pay.

"There wasn't anything you could do..." She said truthfully, and more firmly. "Or could have done then, it's **Not** your fault."

Athrun continued to stare at the floor impassively, his eyes wide with fear that was approaching despair. And Lacus suddenly realized how close they were to losing him and how close he was to losing himself, both physically and mentally. He had been pushed to the brink of despair, and had now idea how to recover, he was lost and don't know how to come back. She realized that all his actions till now were mere survival instincts, pure reflex.

"Athrun."

He had hidden himself away from all other perceptions; all other thoughts and closed away the pain so that he could continue functioning- so that he could continue the fight to keep himself and Marlene alive.

"How could he…?!" Athrun whispered, his fist clamped around Lacus's arm. Lacus could feel him trembling, raw rage and disbelief seeping out of those three words.

Athrun thought everything was for the sake of personal vendetta, but Tad Elthman had proven him wrong. Athrun life wasn't the only thing at stake.

Warm blood trailed down onto her hand that was holding on to his, and she gasped softly. She looked down to see that the source was from his wrist, just at the cuff of his sleeved arm where blood was steadily trickling down in rivulets. Obviously the stitches that sewn the wound together had torn, and from the looks of it; the wound was pretty serious.

_Someone tried to slit his wrists…_

Lacus almost cursed under her breath, and Marlene looked at her, alarmed. She had put the gun down within the pod's interior and looked up at them, wondering what to do next, wondering whether she could help. Lacus wasted no more time, she passed Marlene the bag of supplies and whispered to Athrun, "You must go."

He stared at her with wide eyes, as though she just muttered some spell incantation, and started to walk away. Alarmed, she grabbed his right arm, trying to hold him back. She only succeeded because his arm was injured.

"Let go." And she flinched, his voice was so cold and harsh, like steel.

"Where are you going?"

"To steal this ship."

She knew what he was thinking. "If you go back to PLANTs now you'll only get yourself killed!!"

"Then so be it!" He retorted, attempting to shake her hand off. But she gripped his arm savagely and forced him to look at her, "For heavens sake, get a grip!!" He ignored her pleas and started to pull away, anger and pity flashed dangerously in her eyes as she glared at him, that for a moment he thought she was going to hit him. Lacus bit her lip, the hand she was holding to was trembling harder than before. And she almost couldn't recognize the man standing in front of her. There was a look in his eyes she had never seen before, a look like the look in a predators' eye as he survey his dying prey. His breathing was rapid and erratic, and overall he looked like a beast ready to break lose the instant she lets go.

She didn't disappoint him.

Athrun closed his eyes as he caught sight of her palm flying towards his cheek, and he waited for the blow to connect…

He held his breath for a moment, then two, but nothing hit his face. He cracked open his right eye, and found her hand suspended centimeters away from his cheek, as if she stepped down on the brake last minute. She didn't slap him, but gazed into his eyes calmly, tears gleaming faintly.

"I would have slapped you…" she said savagely, "If I had given up on you…Listen Athrun…" Her hand rested gently on his cheek. She could feel his warm, quick breaths blowing onto her palm.

"You're panicking, collect yourself. Breathe, breathe with me…"

The look had gone from his eyes, and Lacus instructed more firmly, "Deep breaths. In, out, in…"

For once, Athrun did as he was told. He closed his eye with difficulty and obeyed. He drew a shuddering, but deep breath. It was hard, but the oxygen refreshed his mind and stilled the buzzing in his tired and trembling limbs. After a few more moments, when he felt sufficiently lucid, he opened his eye.

"We didn't know if we will see you again. We didn't know whether you've murdered, or was murdered, or both."

"Does it matter now?!" he said nonchalantly, "So what if both didn't happen…?"

"It matters!" she interrupted, "You're PLANTs Chairman!!"

"Some Chairman I've been!" He said bitterly, he knew he was being childish, but he couldn't stop himself from blowing up at Lacus. "You'd have done a better job..!!"

"But I believed in you…" She said quietly, he looked at her for a while, then began to shrug her hand off. Angry shouts approached, and Lacus pressed on, "I believed in you then because you're Athrun Zala, when you were just Athrun Zala! Not Chairman Zala. Understand that!" she snapped impatiently, his eyes widened.

"Understand that your strength has protected the people you love, and the people you've loved gave you strength. Understand how important it is for you to stay alive!" And with that she shoved him roughly through the door. Marlene grabbed the bag, collected the strap that trailed behind her as she ran and followed Athrun. "Go, she's still waiting for you."

The sentence caused his heart to skip a beat, "… Lacus!"

"I'll be alright. You, pull yourself together…You still have things to do. It's not your time yet. You can still save PLANTs…"

"…HOW?!"

"I don't know…" She replied truthfully, "But I believe you'll find out."

She replied with a small smile towards Marlene and him as the door slip shut.

"Lacus!!"

"Remember, you're_** the**_ Athrun Zala!" she shouted with forced cheerfulness. Her voice was muffled as layers of steel barriers slid over the metal door, "I'm ejecting the pod! You'll be fine, I……" And the rest of her words were lost.

"But Lacus, Kira!! The Kira you have with you is a fake!!" He yelled, banging on the door. But his warning was lost, just as the other way round…

---

Not much longer, but it will have to do…Athrun, Kira, Yzak, Spencer and Dearka. The men, roles more prominent. But Lacus rocks. Cagalli too. Miria and Ramius coming out too…Sorry for the super long period of not updating. BUSY BUSY...


	11. Chapter 11:At the brink of Despair

Chapter 11: At the brink of despair

"_**But they dare not fire... as long as the PLANTs Chairman is still on board..."**_

He could hear high pitch pixies voices echoing strangely at the region above his head…

"First Athrun, than Yzak, now even Kira!"

"Shouldn't it be Kira then Yzak?!" Said a second voice.

"Shut up!" Snapped the first, "…the point is all three of them are hurt badly!!"

_Hurt badly…?_

He could feel his fingers and toes, thought the sensation that met his right arm didn't feel right. He felt somewhat satisfactory and whole. He frowned, and could feel the expression change on his face. Suddenly a hushed silence fell over the two pixies. Someone then thought it was funny to poke him in the neck. Instinctively he shy away from the invasive finger and opened his mouth to scold the person, but as he opened his eyes and reprimanded, "What's the problem with you, haven't you got someone else you can offend at the bloody moment?" All that came out of his mouth was a series of incomprehensible 'hmm's and 'uh's.

The first voice, now two octaves lower spoke first, "Yzak?"

Yzak cracked open one eye, then the other. And a pair of enormous, brilliantly green eyes came into focus. "Big brother Yzak?"

"Oh, it's you, brat." He replied with a deliberate sigh. Max's eyes widened, in a small inquisitive voice he asked, "What's a brat?"

Upon Yzak's look of horror and utter resignment, Dearka laughed and came forward, "How're you feeling, buddy?"

"Great." He replied sarcastically as he made to lift himself off the bed, but as he attempted to prop himself up with his right arm, a stab of pain pierce through his shoulder and he barely stifled a gasp as he dropped back down.

"Hey, easy there!" Dearka exclaimed as he came to Yzak side.

"What…?" Yzak demanded through gritted teeth, still waiting for the agony to subside.

"Dislocated shoulder. Will heal, be easy on it…" Dearka said hastily, as if Yzak's arm might pop off upon exertion.

"And that's the best news of the day…" sighed Shinn.

"What do you mean?!" Yzak snapped.

"Shinn!" Dearka hissed.

"Strike freedom had been stolen."

"!!"

"What could we do?" Dearka said nonchalantly, "He was holding you at gunpoint!" Max nodded in agreement as he recounted dramatically. "That baaaad man was going to shoot you…"

"Did anyone inform Lacus?" Yzak paused, "Regarding Kira? The imposter…"

Dearka and Shinn gave each other a look that told him it were bad news.

"She's missing."

"She's not at PLANTs anymore. One night she just left, all her stuff left intact in the Amarfi mansion."

Yzak pinched the bridge of his nose, then decided it didn't help his headache one bit…

"Lunamaria and the kid?"

"Gone home while you were sleeping…" Shinn said mercilessly.

"The kid." Yzak suddenly remembered having left Spencer out of all the action, "Does the kid know?!"

"That's what we do not know…" Dearka said dismissively, "He left right after your pep talk."

Yzak's brow furrowed, and the other two looked down. Max gazed at the three adults, not understanding why they are so worried.

"He has too much power..." Shinn said finally, "Untamed, unharnessed, uncontrolable."

"He has the seed."

"And he can become a liability." Dearka added. "He can be made use of."

---

The first thing that hit him was the pain. And instantly he knew he was alive. He opened his eye, and observed the other man quietly, he appeared to be sewing something that looked like a rag, but he couldn't be certain, because he couldn't really see. The man whistled away cheerfully, the tune muffled by the surgical mask on his face.

In and out, in and out the curved and wicked-looking needle went, and when Athrun realized his wrist was being stitched up, he gave a small gasp of surprise. The man's eyes widened, and jumped up in equal surprise in a sharp federation salute.

"Sorry sir, I didn't know you're awake!" the soldier stuttered as he lowered his gazed, fiddling with the needle and surgical thread in his hand; then realized where Athrun's gaze was directed and quickly sat back down to finish the job with a weak laugh. The sound was genuine and sincere, and rang out oddly familiar to Athrun's ears. Athrun managed to smile a little, he hadn't heard laughter in weeks, and the stitching guy seems the sunshine type.

"Where…am I?" He asked, and realized his bruised side ached threateningly with the effort.

"Federation ship heading towards PLANTs, well…" he hesitated, "Originally." As he tied off the thread and taped a roll of clean bandage to the wound.

"And…" Athrun's groggy mind became clear, "Marlene?"

"The girl? So her name is Marlene huh...?" He replied with a hint of delight, "Here." And he pointed on the floor, where Marlene's round head popped up and bobbled up and down like a buoy in the open sea, three Uno cards clutched in her hands. "She didn't offer her name, but she's giving me a run for my money." He said affectionately as he disposed of his gloves and pat her head, she gazed at him, then placed down her last three 4s.

"What?" He replied, obviously taken aback as he looked at his own deck still resting on the table. Marlene merely smiled sheepishly, and dealt the cards all over again. The man recovered from his initial shock with a sigh, and as he removed his surgical mask, it was Athrun's turn to stare in shock.

"Ni…Nicol?!"

---

"Settle down…" Kira said, and Spencer did as he was told, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering around in his tummy. The first thing that happened after he left the ship was that Kira Yamato caught up with him in Strike Freedom and told him he has an audience with the Supreme Council, something about their expedition; and is asked to hurry up.

Spencer never stopped for a moment to think about why all his commands are all given second hand; nor why Kira didn't come with Captain Hawke. He was too busy worrying about the fact that the Supreme Council wants to see him.

He swallowed, trying to ease the dryness in his parched throat. It was when he felt that the chair he was sitting on will not fall out of orbit that someone entered the waiting with a clipboard and announced.

"Mr Spencer Gladys."

That sent his stomach doing flip-flops all over again.

---

"!...How did you know my name?"

"HOW?! Because I'm…" Athrun stuttered weakly, "I'm Athrun!"

"?" Nicol was baffled by the reply and it showed clearly on his face.

"Sir, everyone who hasn't been living under a rock in the past ten years knows your name. But how do you know mine?"

"We were in the same team!" Athrun cried, with all the fervency he could muster.

"Really?"

"Yzak, Dearka! Captain Rau!" He listed, hoping that something will slap him in the face, "Don't you remember?"

Nicol whistled, "Sounds cool." But shook his head all the same.

Athrun studied Nicol's heavily scarred face, and almost broke down and sobbed. The apple green hair and orange eyes was unmistakably his. And if he stared closely enough at his arms, there were a metallic slit joining flesh to metal at the elbow, indicating his arms were prosthetic. He had been maimed in battle, it was something that came to Athrun in a shocking manner.

Nicol must have sensed Athrun's distress, because he came forward and asked, "Chairman Zala, are you alright?"

Athrun looked away, unable to gaze into Nicol's eyes as he breathed deeply, telling himself to stay calm. Knowing that he needed time to collect himself. He swallowed a wave of nausea that came riding up his throat and closed his eye briefly, forcing himself to reply "Yes…" When all he wanted to do was to screamed, '_please don't call me that…'_

"Huh?"

"I…must have been too..." He paused, catching himself before he said anything else he might regret. Swallowing, he closed his eyes briefly. "You really look like my friend."

Athrun had not been mistaken; of that he was certain. He looked at his friend is sitting barely a meter away, very much alive and kicking. Though deep down he knew this is not the same Nicol whom he had come to pamper and respect as a comrade, but an empty shell with the same face. Athrun hated that fact, and he hated to admit it. What he loathed with all his heart was the fact that he could not bring himself to tell Nicol what happened.

_How he saved him from Strike and went KIA. How he sacrificed himself... to protect Athrun._

Athrun had questions of his own threatening to burst forth the moment he let down his guard. How did he survive? How come he does not remember?

He took another breath, trying to still the turmoil in his mind and heart. He hardly felt so messed up.

"…I'm sorry." Was what he decided to say finally, and he knew he sounded pretty pathetic.

"Did you just say 'sorry'?"

Athrun gave him a bewildered look, then nodded hesitantly. Feeling the world shake as he did so, and a hand went to his swimming head, trying to steady himself.

"I thought Chairmen don't ever say sorry."

Apparently Nicol thought it was unbelievable, and Athrun suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Dr Sas not too long ago.

_Chairmen don't say sorry. Its wrong. _

'_Sorry' is reserved for friends._

"Chairman Zala…"

This time a wave of nausea hit him full in the stomach; and he half fell, half clambered out of bed as he made his way to the nearest bathroom. There was a sting on his right arm that followed in his wake, but he could not care less at the moment.

He leaned over the sink not a moment to soon and puked out everything there was in his stomach, which wasn't much; most was gastric juice that smelt foul and left an astringent taste and burning sensation in his mouth. He held on to the side of the sink grimly for support, and knew his legs would collapse the instant he lets go. His arms hurt, his body hurts, his head hurts. And he closed his eyes, waiting for the giddiness to go away. He gave another lurch at this point, feeling the sick ride up his gullet and burn the back of his throat, the foulness filled his entire head.

He felt positively pathetic.

Lacus had put herself in danger to save him, if she didn't manage to steal the suit start up chips, it will likely mean that she's still on the Zaft ship.

_Maybe even locked up and interrogated..._

The prospect scared Athrun, and he wanted to force himself upright, attempting to heave himself off by straightening his arms slowly so that he could stand. But the right one was broken and the other is numb. The slightest attempt left him outright exhuasted and afraid. He gave up and rinsed his mouth instead, realizing the dryness in his throat for the first time. Even the tap water tasted contrastingly sweet and inviting.

Perspiration dampened his forehead and limbs, dripping off the tip of his nose. He just remained there, crouching over the sink and panted, willing himself to find the strength to move. He was growing more tired by the moment that he knew if nothing changed, he would eventually exhuast what little strength remaining in him and collapse.

A hand patted his back gently, as one would a child. And for the first time Athrun realized the pair of hands had been there on his shoulders all the while; and is the reason why he did not fall.

"Better?" Nicol asked, Athrun nodded feebly, not trusting himself to speak. Feeling as if the moment he opens his mouth he'll be sick all over again.

Nicol gripped his numbed hand, and slung it across his back as he gripped Athrun waist. He flinched at the pressure on his wounds and bit his lip, trying to hide the gasp of surprise. If Nicol noticed, he did not show it. He merely redoubled his grip and helped him walk back to the bed- though carry is more like the word.

Athrun sat down again, feeling helpless and useless. Nicol arranged a modest number of down pillows such that he could sit up by leaning on them, and if he moved too much he could also trigger an avalanche of white, fluffly pillows- not that he wanted to. Though Marlene seemed more excited at the prospects. She came forward, stretched out her small hands towards him; out to comfort, but not sure where to start. She took a while to decide where to touch Athrun because she had to look pretty hard for a place that did not hurt. Finally, she settled on his side.

When the girl had nestled snugly beside him, he waited for his head to settle and attempted to wipe his face, but found it out the hard way that his arms were now as useless as the rest of him. It was Nicol who took the initiative, he dabbed Athrun's brow with a wet towel, wiping away the remnants of perspiration. Athrun nodded feebly in gratitude, is was all he was able to do.

He knew he looked awful and felt even worst, and was certain he will drift away into oblivion if he would just let himself. One thought formed in the span of a fraction of a second, only to be replaced by a blissful nothingness, then intercepted by another thread that whisps away when he tried to grapple with it. He gave up thinking in the end, and somehow convinced himself to relax. Marlene looked at him, worried.

Athrun looked away, and gripped the bed sheet at this point, wanting to find something to throw, but he knew he could not even manage that. He hated his own body for hurting so much, he thought he could die. He berated himself for being so trusting towards Tad Elthman, so gullible…

Tears welled up in his eyes at this point, and he blinked them away, not allowing the tears to taint his remorse. Frustration tore relentlessly at his will, mocked at his remaining pride at trying not to cry. Nicol looked away delibrately, as he spread the blanket over Athrun's legs. Marlene changed positions, choosing to sit at his feet instead and gazed at him with large, inquisitive eyes. Athrun could not bear to meet her gaze. He loathed himself too much for being such a poor leader, and to put all his friends at risk for trying to save him when he was not worth the effort. He hated the fact that Lacus might be in grave danger because of him, and Kira who has been tortured and now gone missing.

And…most of all, he was ashamed of himself for allowing all that to happen. The situation couldn't have been worst.

_And it was all his fault…_

_Athrun could feel the breath getting constricted in his chest, as if an unseen monster was suffocating him. Choking him and killing him slowly. _

A hand went gingerly to his chest, gripping the fabric of the t-shirt tightly. The ornaments met his palm and he was surprised there were still there in one piece.

_It's all your fault…_

_Darkness overwhelmed him, and he couldn't see._

Lacus told him he could redeem the situation, but the job didn't come with an instruction manual. So what if he is Athrun Zala, did that name make him any less mortal than he is? Did that prevent Janurius from being blown up? Did it save anyone?

_Tendrils of dark substance crept up from the very ground he was standing on, threatening to consume him. It tickled his fingers, teasing and inviting. Half of him wanted to scream and run, and the other half was inevitably attracted to the power and solace a merger would promise. He found himself drawn forward, suddenly yearning with an insatiable hunger to become one with it. To escape from the pain by destroying everything that had caused it. With that thought, power rise up with him, ready at hand, ready for use…And all he had to do is to wield it… _

"Chairman Zala…?" Nicol asked. Athrun blinked. Marlene leaned her head on his lap.

"It's not your fault."

_Two hands reached out, and yanked him back._

"It's not your fault." Nicol repeated, as if he read Athrun's mind. As if unsure Athrun had heard him the first time, then he looked away, realizing he had spoken out of place. Athrun couldn't care less, but clung on to his words. He looked a the man intently, waiting for him to continue.

"Chairman Zala…"

Athrun cried out silently, '_Can't you just call me Athrun?!_'

"Ath…Can I just call you Athrun?" Nicol stammered as if he had read Athrun' mind, Marlene nodded as Athrun blinked in no small surprise. That's twice in a day, but he nodded all the same, Nicol's shyness seems to be affecting him. Nicol smiled, as one would to a friend.

"You're a rum one." Nicol commented with a hint of mockery, Athrun did not mind at all. In fact, the sentence warmed his heart.

The historical moment was punctured by the sound of Marlene's tummy growling…

She pouted, apparently angry at her own tummy's untimely announcement by curling up on his lap, trying to hide her face.

Nicol laughed, and Athrun along with him.

"Any chance... of grabbing some lunch?" He asked Nicol in turn, not knowing how else to source for food. This is a space vessel, for crying out loud.

"Well…" He hesitated, and Athrun knew it was something he has been trying hard not to let Athrun find out. "Not too high a chance. The cook died in the battle against that ship while walking along the docking area."

"This ship was in battle?"

"Yes."

"Against?"

"The Ragnorok."

"A Zaft ship?" Athrun asked in a rushed whisper, realizing where the conversation was going.

"Well…yes."

"Why?"

"Because we found you." He said finally, as if wanting to declare it for the longest of times. "We found your escape pod floating in space, then they found us. They demanded that we hand you over for 'safe keeping'," and Nicol lifted two wriggling fingers on each side of his head sarcastically for emphasis.

"But all of us know that's a big fat lie. I mean, look at you." And he looked at Athrun in the eye, there was genuine anger in his tone. "You're a little too smashed up for a politician, and you almost bled to death! How safe will you be?" He stopped himself at this point, trying to keep the anger from his voice.

It was unlike Nicol to be so flared up, and a ghost of the past Nicol flashed past in Athrun's mind eye. The concern that was being shown touched his heart, a heart which had unwittingly grown stone cold in the past weeks of abuse and resultant unconsciousness. But this is not the same Nicol. It made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.

"I've…" Nicol began, "…had my doubts about Janurius. Though it isn't my business as to what happens in PLANTs. But I've..." He looked up at Athrun with a confused smiled, "I've always been your supporter."

He did not reply, he did not trust himself to. Nicol took it as a sign to go on, "Too much time has been wasted, too many lives has been lost. But you went out and made the difference. You reformed PLANTs, you taught the Coordinator world acceptance. And the Naturals to make peace."

"You give me too much credit…" Athrun replied.

"That's because you give yourself so little." Nicol said with a finality that make Athrun blush. "Point is…I thought you did blow Janurius up." And he caught Athrun's eye. "Till I met you."

Athrun blinked, indicating he didn't understand.

"You're…" Nicol hesitated, "…so gentle. Too gentle."

Athrun was slightly taken aback, Lacus, Cagalli, Kira and Nicol all said the same thing about him. But he could not see that trait in himself. And even if he did, where did it take him in the end?

"Don't be so hard on yourself..."

He gazed at his friend, not knowing what to reply; what to say. When he remained silent, Nicol simply quirked his lips in a mockery of a smile, "Don't die…"

It was quiet apart from the ornaments that klinked lightly on his breatbone, and Athrun realized Marlene had fallen asleep curled up in his lap-in a way he had always found endearing. He laid a hand on her head, pushing the curly sideburns behind her ear with his thumb. He should have smiled, but he could not. Too much was at stake for any weakness to be shown on his part; he knew.

He could not breathe properly, and when he tried his side pained him terribly; as if daring him to do his best and burst the stiches. He felt as if the weight of the responsibility was crushing him. But it was a burden he had to bear; willingly bear. For too many trusted him not to fail again. Yzak, Dearka, Shinn, Lacus, Kira, Cagalli, now Nicol, they have all slaved away, or risked their lives for him. And his only way of showing his gratitude is to survive. To survive and rescue PLANTs from the deceiver. And in that intent there was no self to be found, no room for Athrun; only a perfect fit for Chairman Zala.

"I won't die." He told Nicol finally, in a voice so unlike himself, "I'm Chairman Zala."

---

Heart in mouth, he walked into the office. A man was walking out as he walked in, the man was about fifty, and looked familiar. He left with a positively photogenic smile, in contrast, Supreme Councilor Tad Elthman looked pale and sickened behind his desk, though he had just been installed as temporary leader.

He saluted, "Supreme Councilor Elthman, Spencer Gladys, code number 340982, assigned to the DSSD, Archangel, reporting."

The gaze thrown his way was enough to make him shrink back into his uniform. But before he could reacted, the expression was replaced by a welcoming smile, and it made Spencer wonder if it were just his own imagination. He had heard enough about Tad Elthman to make an impression, and was wary in his approach. Though the older man didn't look and sound half as evil as the way they described him.

"How was your trip? Did your crew manage to rendezvous with Chairman Zala?"

"No Sir, we didn't."

"And you presumed he was on the EAF ship and attacked."

"I didn't!" Spencer retorted defensively. "I was under the orders…"

"Relax." He interjected, "I didn't summon you here to question your judgment nor to condemn you. I am merely an old man who needs to find out what happened."

"I…My apologies." Spencer stammered, feeling his cheeks crawl with heat.

"Yes, about your orders. By whose authority are they issued?"

"Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule."

"Ah, the young and not-so tactful, not-so-nice one." The older man attempted a joke, and Spencer smiled in agreement. Deciding that Mr Elthman is not so difficult a person after all.

"What do you make of the situation?"

Spencer opened his mouth, and no words came, he stood there with his jaws agape till he remembered to reel them in. In his mind a maelstrom of thoughts fought for dominion, sending lancers of feelings prickling at his heart. Truth is, now he did not know who to trust, what to think. Who to doubt, who to blame.

Kira advise him on the way here to share his thoughts freely with Tad Elthman, because the man can smell a lie a mile away. On the other hand, Dearka himself tells him otherwise. Enemy or friend, Spencer could not decide nor differentiate.

Tad Elthman seemed to have sense his hesitation. And said, "I am as confused as you are."

Spencer was surprised, and it must have shown on his face.

"I watched Athrun grow up…and it never occurred to me…" He gave a low sigh, "That he would be capable of such atrocity."

Spencer nodded in agreement, realizing that the older man just used Athrun's first name. Reminding him of Mwu. "Neither am I."

"But cruel facts stare at us in the face. Within PLANTs there is an outbreak of civil war, people are taking sides, choosing what to believe, who to pin the hopes on. Some wants Athrun captured and apprehended, others want him reinstalled and given a chance to explain."

"What about you?" Spencer asked impulsively, and his eyes widened as he realized how disrespectful he sounded.

A flash as annoyance flash past the older man's eyes, but he overlook Spencer's behavior and replied. "I want to know nothing but he truth. I wish to campaign for a middle ground, till the truth is found. And that is why you're here."

Spencer gasped, stuttering, "…Me?"

"Yes. The truth has to be found, and there are few I can trust. Half the councilors have perished already, and I have to take care to ensure I'm not the next. Councilor Jule will very much like to destroy me if he could."

"Why?"

The older man clicked a remote control, and the screen that Spencer had not noticed crackled to life. It was a news telecast, first showing Amarfi mansion followed by Yzak's home. And the commentary given almost made his heart stop.

_In the dead of the night, both landmarks have been utterly destroyed by who is suspected to be the hate-groups. Otherwise known as the PLANTs faction, those seeking to restore PLANTs to the 'original phase' before Chairman Zala stepped in. However, they speculate that this is in fact, a ploy. A ploy to close the case once and for all on the Chairman's disappearance by murdering the Councilor's most closely involved with him. The Jule mansion has been found this morning, stripped of all lifeforms within its walls by a mysterious technology. And behind me is the Amarfi mansion; and as can been seen, not a stone is left atop another. Who could be capable of such atrocity? Who could institute the mass murder of seven Supreme Councilors within the week?_

"I can't believe this..." he uttered in horror, he did not want to hear anymore; but the woman on screen contiued relentlessly.

_Could it be the infamous hate groups who plagued the PLANTs economy? Or is it in fact an act that will leave no witnesses, Chairman Zala himself...?_

"Believe it." Tad Elthman said mercilessly. "Chairman Zala doesn't want to be found." He pointed his chin at the screen, where Amarfi mansion had been razed to the ground, and a blue ring surrounded the Jule mansion. "The people who know him best are all gone. Who would know where is he? Or what he intents to do?"

Spencer did not argue, he could not. Tad Elthman had apparently chosen to be candid with him, and he should reciprocate that trust at the very least.

"Can I trust you with that mission? To find the truth for me?"

"...Yes sir." Spencer tore his eyes away from the screen and managed to answer while trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"You'll agree without knowing the details of your mission?"

"I know the outcome is to keep Chairman Zala safe."

"And if he is found guilty?"

"Then with my hands… I will send him to the gallows." Spencer said, the sentence tasting bitter in his mouth, like woodworm, "The truth shall prevail."

"The truth shall prevail." Tad Elthman echoed, and he stood up, stretching out his hand towards Spencer; who immediately took it.

---

Mwu looked up, out of the observatory window.

"What is it?" Ramius asked, trying to keep the alarm from her voice.

"It's…" he hesitated, "A feeling…something big is going to happen."

"Something big?" Ramius echoed the ambiguous statement, knowing Mwu's instincts are as honed and sharpened as a sword. "Good or bad?"

"Bad, definitely bad."

---

"Captain, the Ragnarok is still hot on our heels."

"I know." He replied evenly. "But they dare not fire, as long our talisman is still on board."

"The PLANTs Chairman."

He nodded ever so slightly, "In the event they catch up, we'll drag him to the bridge and slit his throat." He turned to his vice captain, "Nicol is still in the infirmary with him?"

"Yes."

"Try to keep him there, or at least somewhere near. Makes it convenient."

"I'll make sure Nicol sees to that."

"You do that."

"What of the stowaway?" The vice captain asked impassively.

Behind the door Kira heard the exchange, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Nicol can keep him, The gene examination reveals that he's a coordinator too."

"Nicol likes picking up things…" The vice-captain replied with evident disapproval.

"Useful things, though he doesn't know it yet."

"Meaning?"

"Haven't you noticed his similarity to one of the Chairman's closest associates?"

The vice captain thought for a moment, then gasped softly.

"You mean…"

"Yes, the commanding general of Orb. The legendary 'White Wings'."

Kira blinked, the Chairman might know something. He didn't care if they killed him, but he needed to find out how much he knows first. He wanted to discover whether this person named Athrun exists, or was it a figment of his imagination. And whether he is the key to Kira's past. He knew his first name, that was all, he needed more than that to find himself. And that was all that mattered. Orb, general of Orb, another clue.

His heart palpitating in his chest, he left the two officers, a plan formulating in his head.

---

The conspiracy has emerged, and the key players have taken their places; the wild cards set free. Too many who cannot afford to lose, too much ambition, but only one will emerge champion. Who will be the one? Will Kira meet Athrun? Will he find himself?

This chapter is not exactly exciting, but its necessary.

Ming


	12. Chapter 12:Reunion

Chapter 12: Reunion

**_"KIRA!!"-Athrun Zala._**

"Two ships are approaching at high speeds." Dearka said as he frowned. "Doesn't make sense…"

"Why?" Yzak asked.

"One of them is the Ragnarok, the one that the Kira-clone retreated to after stealing Strike Freedom. It should be heading far, far away from us if Athrun's on it…But its chasing after an EAF ship…"

"Meaning…"

"They've got something they want." Yzak said thoughtfully, then quirked an eyebrow in mimicry of a smile. "Chances are that Athrun's on the EAF ship."

"Fire into freezer. Between the devil and the deep blue sea..." Shinn interjected as he made a face, he headed off to the launching docks. "Finally, some action."

"Announce level three battle alert!" Yzak ordered, "**All** available units will launch."

---

"_Hey. I'm here." Nicol announced softly into the broom cupboard, it was filled with brooms; till Nicol moved all the brooms out into another room two weeks ago. A gasp was heard in the darkness, and Nicol felt the other person seize his hand. He did not draw away, but merely smiled as he said, "He's cooking chicken porridge today, I'll bring you some…" He was blatantly cut off at this point._

"_You must get him off this ship!"_

_Nicol blinked in surprise. Kira continued nevertheless, "He's gonna be killed."_

"_What…"_

"_I heard them." Kira said calmly, "Don't you notice? This ship is traveling at near maximum speed all the time, they are catching up!"_

"_Zaft?"_

"_Yes, and the captain said he'll kill the Chairman."_

_Nicol was stunned, but forced himself to remain calm as he muttered, _"_I don't…"_

"_He said that in order to protect the crew, if they catch up, he'll drag the Chairman out and hold him hostage. If further threatened, they'll shoot him…"_

"_Athrun…? Did he really say he'll kill Athrun…?"_

"_Yes. Only we know, only you can save him!"_

"_But...if I saved him...we will die..." He gave voice to the conflict in his heart, the words sounded so bitter and laced with venom that Kira withdrew for a moment, fear evident in his purple eyes. But he gathered himself quickly, setting his lips in a tight purse as he implored. _"_If he's really your friend..."__ he was holding on to his hand and giving it a tight squeeze._

_"Please save him."_

---

"Soy sauce." Athrun said as he held out his hand, like a surgeon in an operation theater, unaware of any other danger except for burning the kitchen. The freckle-face kitchen boy passed him the opened bottle obligingly, and looked excitedly over his shoulder into the pot; where a fluffy white porridge is bubbling away.

Cooking is an art form Athrun never got to enjoy, one of the down sides of being Chairman. No one could stop him if he wanted someone removed from the face of the earth, but to step into the parlor and make himself a sandwich was an unpardonable crime.

In this case, cooking is a rare combination of precision, judgment, experience and maybe a little bit of talent. And he had no doubts in his mind that mums would make good military people.

He was not just playing around. He is cooking for three prime reasons. First it is to replace the dead cook and prevent everyone on board from starvation. There are kitchen staff who does chopping and slicing, but none of them could cook anything decent. The crew practically had tears in their eyes when Athrun could get up and cook spaghetti with mushrooms and beef about four days ago.

Secondly, Marlene is having a mild fever. Though she's still jumping around in the room with a cardboard box bestowed upon her as her castle/fortress, he insists she eats something that will not aggravate her condition. Which is the reason why he was making chicken porridge, with sweet corn and big, succulent chunks of chopped chicken thighs and flavoured just the way Marlene likes it.

Thirdly, cooking helps him to think. The mouth-watering rich fragrance rose from the pot now as he stirred with his good arm, his broken arm hung in a sling suspended across his chest. People poked their noses into the air for a sniff, and let out collective sighs of anticipation of a good meal; but Athrun was oblivious to it, as he usually was when he cooks. His mind was just dwelling on other things.

Over the past few days, he had been thinking, recollecting, analyzing and then thinking some more. Information was scarce, and he seized every chance to question, to ask discrete questions that will tell the crew no more than neccessary. True, they saved is life, but that does not make all of them instant-Coordinator lovers. Nor can everyone believe that he was not a murderer. And he wasn't sure if he was one.

The situation between PLANTs and EAF is steadily worsening to the brink of war, and Orb has been dragged along into it. The treaty is the last time on everybody's minds now. Word has it that a Zaft ship attacked a federation ship in space, the assault sanctioned by none other than the supreme council; or at least one member of it.

_Yzak and the flagship Corona. _

Lunamaria's ship. He concluded at once, his friends have been searching for him and are now fugitives on the run, and he had to get into contact with them soon. He had to make them stop searching- because he's going back to PLANTs himself to set things straight. And if war break out, he did not know know if he still had it in him to dirty his hands once again, he has killed in the past, he might have to do it again. But this time he will not be the boy soldier killing under orders, he might have to kill naturals with his own words, with his actions, with the grief and anger in his heart. Athrun had thought that he locked that part of himself away for good, but it is becoming evident that he needed all of himself to survive.

All the while as he was assembling the puzzle together, bits and pieces of whatever memories accumulated during his brief period of consciousness before, during, after his kidnap fell into place. Tad Elthman, his father's friend. Now in charge of the situation in PLANTs. Flagship Corona, lost in space. Linda Lacey, the surrogate daughter to multi-millionaire Giovanni Lacey. He is probably the money fueling the Tad Elthman's power. Saying goes that he runs a research plant specializing in weapon research and has some out-of-bounds experiment being carried out in his labs. He also has a great influence upon the media. A shady and elusive character on the whole but that was the least of Athrun's worries.

The Kira-clone, his tormentor, his nemesis; is the most dangerous one of them all. Unlike Tad Elthman, he is not tied down by political supremacy, nor trapped in the background like Giovanni Lacey. He's the wild card in the equation. And he would stop at nothing, he has no allegiance, no background; having nothing to lose which makes him all the more unpredictable and dangerous.

But on top of that, he knew Athrun best, he knew Athrun in a way Kira cannot.

Because he was a born killer

Just like Athrun.

A hand gingerly went to his throat, and rested on the bandages taped there. That man could have killed Athrun, but he did not do so. Maybe he was under the orders of Tad Elthman, maybe he just didn't feel like it. Or maybe he saw the similarity between him and Athrun. But it made Athrun all the more uneasy about judging his possible motives and actions. He had plenty of opportunities to kill Athrun, but he did not, which meant that Athrun had more uses than he thought. If Lacus hadn't gotten him off that ship, what will lie in stall for him is unimaginable. Furthermore…

_Kira, Lacus, Yulie Amarfi, lost._

Just thinking about it made Athrun's blood boil, and he stirred the porridge vigorously.

"Erm, sir…" The kitchen boy swallowed nervously as he watched bits of porridge spill. Athrun caught himself with a small shrug to hide his embarrassment, "Pardon, I was thinking of something…"

Without futher explaining himself, he ladled out four bowls and placed them on a tray, two for Marlene and himself, another two for Nicole who insisted he eats more. Athrun thought he looked like a boy who got a pet without his mother's permission; but did not press the issue. He left hastily, leaving the kitchen boy the task of serving the crew.

---

Cagalli was heading to the launching docks when Meyrin caught her hand.

"You really should be getting back to Orb." Meyrin sighed, Cagalli did not reply. "They need you there."

"And escape from this battle?"

"It is precisely because we are going into battle that you should leave soon."

"You're the one who should have left with your sister."

She shook her head and gave a dismissive shrug.

"You've no confidence of winning?"

"You know the fire-power of Strike Freedom…" She said quietly, carefully concealing the irritation at being provoked, and added in an undertone, "And Mr Yamato…"

"That man is not my brother!" Cagalli snapped.

"Genetically he is!!" Meyrin insisted, "He may very well have the same capabilities."

"He may." she agreed, "But he stole it from us and I'll steal it back!" Cagalli almost cried. It was pretty much the way she felt, and desperation and worry was eating at her, consuming her mind and thoughts to the point that almost nothing was left. And she knew that if she continued seating there and do nothing, she'd soon go mad. She'll have to do something, both for Athrun and herself. She is the leader of Orb, she cannot afford to give up.

"They're so close..." This part she said to mostly herself, it felt as if Athrun and Marlene are just out of her reach. And if she stretched out her hands she'd be able to bring them both home…

"They're not!" Meyrin whispered savagely, Cagalli looked up,"He's still in the hands of our enemies, we are no closer to saving him than we were for the past three weeks!"

"I don't care." Cagalli said as she started away again.

"What if you died?"

Cagalli ignored her.

"You're the sovereign of Orb. And Max's mother…"

Cagalli stopped, and turned around to fact the smaller woman full in the face. "You still love him, don't you?"

Meyrin gasped, and shifted her gaze. Cagalli understood, and she replied in a quiet undertone as she turned around again. "I thank you." And slipped her hand out of the other woman's grasp.

---

Athrun was watching with satisfaction and a fierce pride as Marlene ate porridge greedily as Nicol rushed into the room. He looked distracted, and his apple green hair stuck out in a disheveled way.

"I kept two bowls for…" He began to say as he gestured at the bowls, but Nicol grabbed his hand and yanked him forward. He stiffened against the pain but protested no further; Nicol's grip was hard enough to send the message.

"We have to go! Marlene c'mon." The little girl was alarmed, but she refused to let go of the delicious bowl of porridge.

"Wha…? Why?" Athrun stammered.

"Do you trust me?"

"Huh……?"

"I said 'Do you trust me'?!" Nicol repeated, more forcefully this time as he stared into Athrun's eye.

Athrun held his breath, searching his friend's eyes. In them he found genuine fear; fear for Athrun's life. Athrun couldn't help it, despite the sudden and absurd turn of events; despite being betrayed time and again by those he had called friends…He nodded.

"Yes." He said, Nicol nodded. "Let's go."

"Weapons!"

"No!"

They ran, and in their wake the battle alert sounded. With Nicol carrying Marlene and Athrun managing a staggering limp behind him. Chaos reigned, Nicol pushed forward, not knowing how much time they have till they discovered Athrun was gone. He was only sure the time will not be enough.

He ran faster, beckoning Athrun to do the same. He was panting as he quickly told Athrun, "Someone will meet us at the launching bay..."

"Friend or foe?" Athrun gasped, and Nicol know he was tiring quickly, but it was just one more reason to keep up the pace.

"Friend."

Suddenly the whole ship quaked, and Athrun was thrown off his feet into the wall beside. He could not tell how far he flew as he had only the use of one eye. But obviously the ship is under attack.

_The Ragnarok._

Realization dawned upon him, and he quickly scrambled off the ground, ignoring the painful warnings coming from his broken arm. Nicol stopped for long enough only to watch him get off the ground, than urged him to go on.

When they finally stepped into the launching bay, Athrun thought they were safe as the crew were busy with the preparations. But he was wrong, one gunshot sounded; closely followed by a rain of bullets. He heard some of the Natural crew shout, "He's getting away!", "Moron! Shoot him, don't kill him!". He ignored them, he closed away those nasty voices and forced himself focus on dodging the bullets. Nicol was still leading, and running in a zig-zag pattern, Athrun followed suite, praying that it will be enough. having no steel in his hands felt oddly empty.

His heart was pounding in his chest, and his breathing was ragged and strained. His head spun from the effort and he knew he had to go on; he had to survive just as he had decided to do so. He is the Chairman of PLANTs.

---

"Go to hell!!" Shinn yelled as he fired over and over again, the Strike Freedom proved to be a formidable foe.

"You first." The other man declared, in a voice identical to Kira's but filled with malice.

Destiny was forced to do a back flip to dodge the beams weapons, and as every thing turned upside down, he aimed a slash at its chest plate, using the momentum of his flip to deal maximum damage, but the blow was parried, then defected.

Shinn cursed, and the suit rocked and the second beam issued from his rifle hit and blew up one of Destiny's wing plates.

Dearka was not having much luck either, even though he was in the Verde Buster; a suit built to be every bit as heavy duty as a mobile suit can get. What it lacks in speed is made up with fire power, its firing rate it astounding, but the Strike Freedom dodged with lightning speed, and it reminded Shinn of a fly and a fly-swatter.

Dearka cursed over the airwaves, and apparently he was hit by one of the EAF mobile suits. "Dammit! Can't you see we are trying to help you!"

They were desperately outnumbered. Without Luna and her crew, they were only left with fifteen mobile suit pilots, three ships. Versus thirty one suits; one of them being the Strike Freedom…

Things were not looking good, and Shinn ignored it all as he activated Seed mode…

---

There was a gunshot, and Athrun felt something slice through his leg, he collapsed; but got up again almost immediately. Moisture of some sort began to flow, but he forced himself to ignore it, focusing on getting away.

Nicol placed Marlene in the co-pilot seat of the MA and told him to hurry; uttering some quick instructions as he inserted the key and powered up the engine. Athrun got in, than realized that Nicol wasn't going anywhere.

"Fly safe, the fighting is fierce. Get medical attention." He squeezed Athrun's hands as he drew away from the hum of the metal frame of the MA, Athrun held him back, catching his smaller hand.

"What about you?!"

Nicol smiled, and Athrun wanted to cry. He smiled the way that told Athrun he had no answer to that question. He knew his fate was sealed the moment he led Athrun away.

"I won't...!!" Athrun declared impulsively.

"If you don't want to save yourself, you still have to save Marlene. Be safe..." Nicol repeated, then in a voice much softer and hushed, as if the word came out as the first breath of a new-born, or the last breath of a dead man. He whispered, "My friend."

It told Athrun different things, great and noble, but terrible things.

_I'm saving you, becasue you're worth saving. You're worth my sacrifice._

He let go, the glass ceiling slipped into place overhead, followed by the airlock catapult launcher, isolating Athrun and Marlene from the rest of the world. The realization echoed over and over again in Athrun's head, and the sense of dread and loss trembled, doubled, and became infinitely large in him. It was an overwhelming and numbing and numbing pain.

The MA lauched forward and the surroundings stretched backwards. Nicol ran to the observatory, and swept his hands forward, gesturing Athrun to go. Mouthing th words, _Don't cry_.

Athrun watched him past as he hammered on the glass, knowing it was useless, he knew he would achieve nothing by his actions. But he hated himself at the moment too much to stop; he loathed himself for leaving his friend to die.

And at that instant, a person slipped from the shadows to stand beside Nicol; and handed him a rifle. Every though the gap was widening by the millisecond, Athrun recognized even the blurred silhouette of the figure, and the breath got caught in his throat as his eye widened. _Great, two friends are left to die._

Kira watched as the only clue to his past catapult out into space, and in the instant he caught a look into one of his emerald green eyes; he knew him.

"Ath…Athrun…"

"KIRA!!"

---

Cagalli rained blows down on the Strike Freedom, keeping him busy, hoping to disarm, hoping for him to make a mistake and create an opening for the others to do their stuff.

"You'll have to do better than this…" He taunted, and Cagalli told him to shut up. She hated his voice, hated herself for feeling as if Kira is alive in that voice. They knew where Athrun is, and they can retrieve him whether dead or alive. But Kira…Kira's lost.

Warm tears floated around in her helmet, and she sat up with a gasp-not realizing she had been crying, not realizing she had given voice to her frustration and grief. Her world had been wholesome, she had a loving husband, kids, a caring brother, a wonderful best friend and a good career. But everything had been torn from her. Athrun and Marlene being kidnapped, Kira was harmed, Lacus is missing. She felt as if missiles had hit home and left gaping holes around her. All she had now was Orb, and for Orb she'll act. For Orb she'll prove Athrun's innocence, and the only way is to find the real necromancer behind the scenes, the fake Kira seems a good place to start.

"MA approaching from…" reported Shiho.

She wasn't listening. With a battle cry, more animal than human, Akatsuki lunged towards Strike Freedom, brandishing a sword. Strike Freedom's chest cannon flipped outward, and easily sidestepped Cagalli's attack as he activated the cannon. Cagalli drew breath slowly, knowing she was done for. Destiny and Verde Buster were rushing forward to help, but she knew they couldn't make it in time. She was on her own.

"Die." The other man sneered in Kira voice. She closed her eyes as the glare of the cannon filled her entire wind screen…

---

An explosion rocked the suit, throwing her backwards, but it was not the kind of magnitude she had expected. She opened her eyes, and realized that the thing that was hit was the Strike Freedom, finally, first hit of the day, but who dealt it?

"Athha, talk to me…Are you alright?!" Dearka yelled, snapping her out of a stupor as she drew away, putting some distance between herself and the damaged Strike Freedom.

"Who fired just now?" She questioned, noticing her voice was shaking. Shinn ignored her and acted, chopping and slashing at the enemy. Cagalli did a search on the radar, and realized there was a EAF MA right behind her, she wheeled around, pointed her beam rifle at the intruder and pressed down the trigger.

Communication came over the airwaves, "Representative of Orb Union, Cagalli Yula Athha, do you copy? WOAH…!!"

Dearka and Shinn who were nearby, heard it too.

"Idiot!" was Dearka address, but his tone betrayed his relief.

Her eyes widened, and held her breath as the MA flipped three hundred and sixty to avoid the beam from hitting the cockpit.

"Athrun…" she whispered, than caught herself. Most of this part of the trip will be documented as battle report, Akatsuki is the symbol of Orb, and her appearance on the battlefield will be remembered. She needed to do what she must, she needed to play her role, just as Athrun had chosen to play his.

"Affirmative! Chairman Zala. Do you copy?!"

"Yes." His voice was formal and weak, but bellied the hint of emotions he actually felt. Cagalli's heart contracted, but she resisted the urge to call him by his first name and hug the MA to herself.

"I have to land the MA, Marlene's going to throw up... too much porridge..."

It was very comical under these circumstances, and Cagalli resisted the urge to smile as she imagined white sick floating all over the confines of the cockpit. "I'll cover you."

Beams issued from behind her, and she realized the Strike Freedom's Dragoon system has been activated. Cagalli used the Akatsuki as physical barrier between the beams and the damaged MA.

She'll become his sword and shield, she'd protect him. Words were unneeded, they were a team, and will always be. She did not trust herself to speak, her heart was fluttering frantically like a caged bird. Her consciousness seemed detached from her surroundings, her trigger finger fired repeatedly, mercilessly, murdering anyone and anything that came too close to threatening her and her charge. She did not look at him, did not dare to, did not felt as if she was ready to do so till they were back under shelter.

They flew off in congruence, and Shinn took her place in front of the Strike freedom, "You thief!!"

"Requesting landing permission. Damaged Mobile armour." She reported.

"Request denied." Came the operator's voice, that man was panicking. Cagalli knew how absurd it must seem. How can a MA from the Canine ask of something like this.

"Permission granted!" This time it was Yzak, who had appeared to have snatched the earpiece from the operator. And the cannons of the Fenrir was suddenly aimed at covering for their landing, Yzak had realized what it meant; he's in control. And as if to tell himself it is the truth, he added in a small voice, "Welcome aboard. Chairman Zala."

---

"They'd better hurry…" Dearka muttered, his stamina thinning. His suit just had the arms blown off, and knew that he was sitting ducks had Shinn not intervened. They couldn't deal much damage, and casualty was mainly on their side. Shinn could not maintain Seed mode for long, it was too exhausting. Dearka could hear him panting as he spoke, "Yeah." Then a surprised yell as a leg was blown off.

"Retreat." Yzak ordered, "Athrun's on board. Mission accomplished."

Dearka smiled, and wondered how. They can't possibly just turn tail and run, Strike Freedom will blow them to bits. It was by heaven's saving grace that Shiho appeared out of the blue and told them to run while she holds it off.

"Are you kidding?!" Shinn demanded, as if to let a girl take it from there was too much to perceive.

"You want to die?" She retorted. Dearka did as he was told when Belle appeared in a ZAKU phantom, and soon Shinn stopped protesting and followed suit.

---

Cagalli's heart beating faster than ever as the glass over the cockpit slipped open; she held her breath, though subconsciously.

_What was she going to say to him?_

She compressed her hands together, and watched as Marlene floated out and Max met her with a wild cheer. The smile on their faces was enough to summon the sun from behind the storm clouds.

"Athrun?" Her voice was caught in her parched throat, and her breath constricted when she saw him again.

His eye was closed. He was in his uniform, just like the day she last saw him. But the similarities end there. Half his face was obscured in white, linen bandages, and much was the same with his neck and arms; an arm rested in a sling. There was blood, and she gasped as she realized it sprang like a fountain from his leg, and floated eerily around in weightless droplets. It was bright red, and that meant it was arterial blood. The vessel is as thick as a finger, and the slightest fissure meant certain death.

Cagalli could not speak as the realization dawned heavily on her that she might have come so far…_only to lose him_. Athrun knew too, but despite all that; he came to, looked at her, and was smiling quite serenely.

The moment was bittersweet, and as she stood there, still stunned and immobile beside the MA's cockpit, an arm wrapped about her in a small, one-armed embrace, and she hugged him back quickly. Her heart wrenched as she felt him flinch unmistakably from the pain. She could feel the necklace she had given him compressed between her breasts, and she only held him tighter.

His breathing was ragged, and weakening evidently. But when he said her name, the sound was beautiful, and caused her heart to weep.

"Kira's there…Nicol...Lacus." He whispered incoherently, and Cagalli realized he was drifting off.

"Athrun, don't…" Tears streamed down her cheeks, staining his face. "You don't have to." She couldn't continue, knowing that probably nothing she says will help. All that mattered was that she was losing him, and fear kept her from speaking. Fear dug in deep, leaving a savaged hollow where it passed, and she struggled and grappled with it. She was hardly aware of the children staring, and Dr Sas screaming at someone to get a stretcher.

"Athrun…?" She implored, but there was no more response. His head rested on her shoulder. Gradually, the arm that draped about her shoulders loosened, but she held on to him. Not willing to let go, not willing to think of what would happen if she did. Droplets of crimson floated past, some staining her cheeks and pilot suit. His body sagged against her, and this time, there was no one who can see her tears. Without restrain, she broke down and wept.

"Athrun..."

---

Finally, back together again. This is an 'ouch' chapter, born in the midst of cruel deadlines and project submission, and the reading of a very depressing but good book named Ender's game. But I like this chapter. Sorry for the super long update time, along with the super long chapter.

Cheers, Ming


	13. Chapter 13:Unforgivable

Chapter 13: Unforgivable

**_"...We knew this path would bring us nothing...but grief, danger and sorrow. Being with you...is a constant challenge, our children may be our greatest liabilities, but not our mistakes." -CYA_**

"Oh." Dearka said, the scissors stopped beside Athrun's right ear.

"Huh…?" he asked, and noted his speech was slurred and muffled by the oxygen mask cupped over his nose and mouth.

_He was surprised to be alive, he thought he was done for this time for sure…_

"You're supposed to be dead…" Dearka mused.

Athrun wanted to laugh, but he could not; staying awake demanded constant effort. In fact, he could barely move. But he marveled once again at the fact that apparently nothing dampens Dearka's spirit.

_I know…You won't believe if I tell you whom I think I met in my sleep…_ And Athrun questioningly eyed at the scissors, he could not yet move his head.

Dearka answered cheerily, like a barber meeting his favourite costumer. "Seeing someone slit your throat and made quick work of your hair, I decide to give you a free haircut. You know I can't stand it. Hold still or your ear will fall off."

"Are you cursing me…?" he whispered, a feeble attempt at making a joke. But he shifted obediently, as far as his unresponsive body would allow him to move.

Dearka nodded appreciatively, and he clipped off the last bit of uneven blue hair, and caught it in a towel. "No… You haven't seen cursing, you should hear Dr Sas. Seriously, how many people tried to kill you?"

There was a long, long pause.

"…I don't remember…" He admitted finally, Dearka raised an eyebrow as Athrun added lightly. "Well… none of them succeeded. So what happened…?"

"Yzak saved you."

He blinked in no small surprise. "Yzak…?"

"Think bloodtype." He said shortly, in all manner of an explanation, and managed to look very pleased with his handiwork. If Athrun had been healthier, he would have wanted to punch the smirk off his face. He did not reply, and tried not to imagine Yzak goading him about it next time and every other time.

"How long…?"

"It's been three days since we operated on you to get the bullet out." Dr Sas interrupted as he entered the room, and leered down at his patient with as much contempt as he could muster. But Athrun thought he saw sympathy in those old eyes. And he was instantly reminded to be strong.

"Update me." He said rebelliously, determined to make full use of himself despite everything, determined to fight, determined not to be on the receiving end of his sympathy.

He propped himself up as he slipped the oxygen mask off his face. The world began to tilt dangerously and his vision blurred. The two men standing in front of him slid in and out of focus, and for a moment he thought he was going to pass out as a wave of nausea rode up his abused abdomen. He curled up and lurched, feeling sick.

"Athrun!" Dearka warned as he held him down, he was fighting just to breathe, for it felt as if there was a ring round his neck, and was tightening by the second, making it more difficult to draw air into his battered body. But he refused to give up, he refused to believe he was not capable of even getting up now. He shook his head, trying again, trying harder. Going as far as his abused body would allow, the stitches on his side threatened to burst as he gasped for air.

But as he drew dry, shallow breaths, he began to cough, and each action seemed to cause his sides to split, sharp pain erupted from his wounds and tears sprang to his eyes, he bit his lip, fighting the urge to cry out. He tasted blood in his mouth.

Dr Sas held his arm and patted and rubbed his back in small circular motions. "Chairman, relax. Breathe."

He hated to admit it, but it helped, and slowly his body stopped acting up.

His brow was now coated with cold sweat, and damp fringe stuck to his temples. He felt terrible, but at least he was able to breathe without aid. His body protested with every dry, shallow breath, begging him not to agitate the wounds that riddled his person. He fought against it, fought against the fear to try moving again.

_He could not give up now, if he did he will never dare to try again… _

Dearka gripped his friend's shoulders, and to Athrun's surprise; helped ease him slowly into a sitting position.

The look on Athrun's face must have shown his surprise, for Dearka gave a short, understanding smirk as he explained.

"You are so stubborn, and unreasonable, but you need to hear."

Dr Sas nodded, Athrun was grateful, but could not help frowning.

_His friends are getting to know him too well._

His head felt heavy on his shoulders as he leaned on the pillows, and he could pretty much only look down into his lap where his good arm-with an IV needle stabbed in- rested. He did not like it, never did. But he seriously doubted if he had the strength to pull it out if he wanted to. He swallowed, attempting to soothe the parched feeling in his throat. He did not feel like himself at all. This body felt unresponsive, heavy and clumsy. He hated this version of himself.

"Zaft will be fighting EAF. There was an unprovoked attack on an EAF registered flagship by a Zaft ship. The battlegrounds is said to be L1, between the Moon base and the Earth."

"Casualties…?"

"Plenty, both parties appear to be spoiling for a fight, yet both can't afford to lose. And…Spencer and the fake Kira are there, on the Ragnorok."

It was very bad news. Athrun looked up.

"That kid…didn't fight us when we were trying to rescue you…I don't think he wants to…" Dearka said thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. Captain Ramius is coming to meet us in a jiffy, they said they found something they need to report immediately. Orb is under siege. Unstable, and their leader still on this vessel. PLANTs is fully in support of Supreme Councilor Elthman being stated as temporary leader. Our nation sadly, is divided by war and resentment. Halfings rounded up and shot all over the world while orphanages are deliberately evacuated in some other parts."

Athrun considered all that was told to him, determined to remember as much as possible even though his focus was already drifting. "So much happened…"

"Because you spend so much time sleeping…" Dr Sas said coldly.

"So, what do we do?" Dearka asked.

"…What's the plan?" Athrun asked in return.

"Supreme Councilor Jule's plan was to lead our vessels into battle." Dr Sas replied.

"Suicide." He commented drily, and swallowed again, he knew he was beginning to tire. And the surroundings were dissolving into a blur, like a large pot of chocolate. There was just so much pain, and threatened to consume him when he was least wary, he fought it down, concentrating on Dearka's words. He closed his eye briefly, collecting himself. "We must attempt...at stopping Zaft from fighting EAF..."

"Yzak's plan is not suicide, now that you're awake." Dearka added on.

Athrun looked at him, mildly confused, but too tired and drained to ask.

"Because we can ask your permission before we hand you over to EAF."

"…You're joking..." He said with a weary frown.

"Maybe." He conceded, as if amused by his empty worry. "It is the only way to stop the war. Citizens of PLANTs demand execution, while EAF demands explanation, you do seem safer on their side. Even if they'll shoot you all the same… At least you get to talk before you die." Dearka added lightly with a shrug.

"Such concern shown… is touching my heart." He replied sarcastically.

"You're welcome." He smiled patronizingly. "Unless you have a better plan. We are hoping for you to save the day. You're the almighty Chairman Athrun Zala."

Athrun considered his statement. "That doesn't mean anything."

"It will if you make it." He said lightly. "You are supposed to be a prodigy and a tactical genius. They didn't give the seat of Chairman to an inadequate minor six years ago. Com'n captain, where's that flare, where' that butt-kicking, earth-shaking, ground-smashing battle plan? You must be worth the effort of us combing across the galaxy to save you."

Athrun wanted to smile.

"And… if I'm not?"

"Then we all become martyrs for you. No one will blame you, but you'll beat yourself up anyway."

"…Dearka…" Athrun voice came out in an impulsive rush of air.

"Do I hear a butt-kicking battle plan emerging from the lips of His Holiness?"

There was a moment of silence.

"...I saw Nicol…" Athrun shoke his head uncertainly and whispered in a dreamy, faraway voice. Hoping that Dearka will understand what that means.

Dearka was momentarily surprised, but after a while he asked incredulously, "Where did you see our little bundle of joy?"

"The EAF vessel…He's the paramedic there. And…"

"And?"

"I think he's dead…" Athrun confessed guiltily.

"Yes. He is dead."

"…No!" Athrun uttered irately, angry that obviously Dearka did not believe him.

"You saw a dead man…?!" Dr Sas said, alarmed, and obviously thinking that Athrun is hallucinating. Athrun was so frustrated, "He's not dead!...wasn't dead…"

"Make up your mind!" Dearka yelled in exasperation. "Or do you just want to have a go at me?"

"I'll have a go at whoever calls me a liar..." Athrun wanted to shout, but retorted Dearka in a voice slightly above a whisper. His chest hurt. Perspiration coated his body, results from efforts to breathe, his clothes stuck to him like a second skin. It was becoming uncomfortable, and painful.

Dr Sas noticed, and interjected, "Mr Elthman, I would appreciate it if you didn't pick a fight with my patient now. Everybody seems to want to increase my workload."

"I never did!" Dearka shouted at Athrun, ignoring the doctor.

…Get out." Athrun managed to say as he clutched his chest, and realized that his hand had automatically enclosed themselves around the ornaments around his neck. _The ring is still there. Thank goodness._

"Fine!" Dearka said as he threw up his hands in the air. "You aren't the only victim in this series of events! In case you don't remember, Janurius was blown apart. Meyrin's dad died."

Athrun cringed inwardly at the news as his eyes widened, he had no reason to feel ashamed, but at that moment he felt as if he was the one who gave the order to destroy Janurius. He looked away, not wanting Dearka to see the tears that had pooled in his eyes.

The door slipped open, and Miriallia stood there, panting, her camera swinging wildly about her neck. Dearka forget about his accusation momentarily and gaped like a goldfish, "Mi…Mi…Miria?"

"Ah, hi…The Archangel…" she replied half-heartedly as she looked around, pointedly at Athrun and demanded, "Where's Yzak?"

"Left just a moment ago." Dearka replied immediately, "Why?"

"I came from Aprilius." She said, and all three men went silent. "I bring news about the siege at Jule Mansion. I showed him the photos and halfway he just walked off. I have questions for him."

"…What happened?" Athrun asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "To Jule mansion...?"

"A bomb went off, and not just any bomb. It was a blue-rinser. It is designed to wipe out all organic matter within radius. It's an expensive bomb, and surely not the work of civilian hate groups…"

Athrun's eye widened.

"I wasn't allowed to stay long, but I took pictures and hope that Yzak will be able to tell what's going on. No bodies, no DNA, just dry skeletons pile atop each other. No one knew what happened to his wife and unborn child…" She trailed off at this point, and retrieved a stack from her pocket hesitantly.

"I was thinking…since you guys are here. Maybe you can be my damage control agents."

She placed the stack on Dearka's hand, and three of them examined the stack while Dr Sas prowled about. The pictures showed mostly just rubber and stray pieces of bones. But one skeleton hand that stretched out from a pile of rubber caught Athrun attention, his heart contracted.

"….That ring… on her fourth finger…"

"You recognize it?" Miria asked hurriedly, sensing Athrun's distress. Dearka hated being kept in suspense, but recognized it as bad news. "Zala, what?"

_Athrun recognized it, of course he did, he helped Yzak to choose it. _

"There are a few others like this, jewelry always helps in identification." Miria said as she made to show Athrun others, but Athrun stopped her, "…there is no need."

Miria seemed to realize what Athrun was saying, but he said it anyway. Those bitter words rolled of his tongue.

"……It's Sedna's."

The realization sank in slowly and deeply as it dawned on their faces.

"… …Oh, no."

"Crap!" he cursed as he cast the whole pile on the table, "…I'll go check on him!" Dearka decided quickly, and Miria followed.

The room became a lot more spacious. But Athrun was left to stare numbly at the pictures as it accused him over and over again. Guilt stabbed him in the chest, biting deeper and deeper with each passing second, and the room seems to close in on him, smothering him.

He felt trapped, so helpless and incapable of doing anything right. With the people around thinking him demented and hallucinating. There was so much he wanted to do now, he wanted to run to Yzak, he wanted to set off to rescue Kira and Nicol, he wanted to find Lacus. He needed to explain himself to the world before War breaks out, he wanted to apologize to Meyrin and Luna, yet all he could do was to sit there like an invalid and tolerate his wounds.

Dr Sas looked at him, as if sensing that the photos are tormenting Athrun, he flipped the photos over as he said, "I'll come back in a bit to check this," He indicated Athrun's bandaged left eye. "In the meantime get some sleep, don't try to walk. Don't think too much, your body needs time to re-adjust, if you overexert yourself and make me work OT… I'll tell the crew you have HIV."

Athrun could not bring himself to laugh, so he remained silent. "And Chairman Zala…." Dr Sas addressed formally, it caught him by surprise. "We're glad to have you back with us. I'm glad."

_You're lying._

Athrun was too frustrated to reply, but all he wanted was to be able to move. He bit his lip, and impulsively he started clawing at IV needle, scratching at the tapes and attempting to pull it out.

Dr Sas was alarmed, and gripped his wrists, Athrun resisted, but could not find strength enough to push the 50-year old away.

"Chairman!" He warned, disbelief plastered across his wrinkled features. Athrun did not care, he wrestled with him, twisting and hoping to get away, but the doctor is more experienced. He pressed Athrun's wrists down, pinning him to the pillows behind. But he continued writhing and trashing. He did not know what he was doing, he just wanted to be doing _something _and did not care if he hurt himself in the process.

"Athrun!" The doctor cried in warning, his voice dangerously low. It made him stop and stare, both were panting hard.

"I know you're tired, and likely hurting, but please listen to a few words from this old man." He sighed, and looked at Athrun as one would a son, there was compassion that Athrun feel he did not deserve, and he withdrew from the old man.

"Let go…" He rasped, he felt drained and disgusted with his own weakness.

"I will if you stop moving."

Athrun nodded grudgingly, feeling perspiration drip off his chin and the doctor released him cautiously. Athrun's arms flop to his sides. All he wanted was to be left alone but his manners took over for him as he noticed that Dr Sas looked tired, "…Take a seat."

Dr Sas looked surprised, then approval spread over his face, he sat down beside him.

"Despite everything," he started, "you are PLANTs Chairman, the weight you carry on your shoulders is a grave burden, but one you need not bear alone. There is nothing you absolutely have to do, nor is there anything anyone can force upon you. So don't put so much pressure on yourself."

Athrun blinked_, the words gave him strength, even if the speaker does not know it as he went on._

"You are only twenty four, and you almost died," He sighed, and Athrun blinked. He pointed at his bandaged hand, "…compound fracture. Torn ligament, bullet tore through an artery. Internal bleeding and to top it all, someone almost cut your eye out. Surely you deserve a break."

"…There is no time…" Athrun muttered in reply, biting his lip, Dr Sas shook his head.

"There is time enough for you to think through and sort out our plans."He insisted. "...you're human too, so don't be such a merciless slave driver to yourself, as if the kidnappers didn't do a good enough job."

"…I'm human…huh…" Athrun said uncertainly, he could not remember the last time somebody told him that. Those words felt empty and held no truth nor appeal. Dr Sas sighed again.

"What will it take for you to understand? It's not what you do that make you 'you'. It's your person that people admire… Look at me." He said as he touched Athrun's shoulder, gently this time. And Athrun looked into those tired grey eyes.

"You're one who inspires men and women to love you, others to trust you, obey your commands, hold dear your requests, and lay down their lives for you. It is the intrinsic part of you that you are borne with, that no one can imitate or take away, it's in your heart, and it's your character that attracts. You never expect your citizens to do what you cannot, you tell them to accept Naturals, but you set the standards by loving them first. As Chairman you now earn respect by proving that you knew what to do with an army when it is placed in your hands, and prove that you will not sacrifice them unless the cause is worthy enough. And when the day comes, if you tell them to die for you, they will do so valiantly……willingly."

Those were pretty words, and Athrun bit his lip, desperately yearning for all of it to be true.

"Because you're a decent boy. You're Athrun Zala…"

Athrun wondered if he heard wrongly, did Dr Sas just called him 'boy'? Athrun eyed the older man questioningly, and he smiled in reply, "Whoever is less than half your age will always be a boy."

The speech ended there at the high note, and was left resonating in the air. Dr Sas got up, and walked out.

---

Athrun was left on his own, it was quiet and he very much wanted to sleep, but he could not. His chest felt heavily laden with guilt and shame, and tears pooled in his eye…

_No pressure? What a joke. _

He had a good idea who destroyed Yzak's life, and it was his fault he was unable to stop them. Yzak have been, if anything, a fiercely loyal friend. Him casting aside his duties and mounting a big scale rescue mission was proof of his loyalty.

_This is how Athrun repaid his loyalty. _

He thought bitterly.

_Yzak chose to save him, and in the process, lost everything. Nicol and Kira laid down their lives for him, Lacus too._

It was too much for him to bear, he curled up then, drawing his knees to his chest, and buried his head in the blanket. The surrounding air seemed to press in on his curled up body, as if attempting to smolder him. Instinctively his palm enclosed around their wedding ring, as if holding on to it will lessen his pain. Hot tears gathered with a sting, and he closed his eyes, disgusted at himself. War is breaking out, and it would not be long before PLANTs and ORB will be forced to fight each other head-on. So much violence all because he was not cruel enough to root out traitors before they act.

_Athrun Zala, don't you dare. _He chided himself silently.

But as he listened, and made sure that there was no one around, and no one is coming. Tears started flowing down his cheeks.

_He hated himself at that moment, he was so low. _

When there were people around, he wished that they will leave him alone so he could sleep. When they finally left him alone, he cried. He couldn't decide which was worst, and it frustrated him. He wished for his injuries to heal in an instant, then he might become somewhat useful; somewhat worthy of his friends' sacrifice.

_He did not deserve to be protected like this when the people who defended him are dying one by one. There was safety in this place, but to what end? What can he do? _

_Fight?!_

Silence wrapped about him as he cried silently, his left eye stung, but no tears flowed from it.

_No one will know, no one will find out if he hid in one corner of the room and cried, because he always did it quietly…When he had to leave Kira, when his mother died, he was always on his own…_

_He knew he will always be……_

A hand touched him gently on his back, and he drew a surprised breath.

The approach was so silent and gentle. She leaned her forehead on his ear. As if she had wanted to do that for the longest of times and landed a soft kiss there.

He did not speak, they were both quiet, and neither took the initiative to speak, or even to look at each other. It felt comfortable enough, as usual. Just to be sitting in the same room and _be there_ together.

He realized he missed the feeling, had missed it so much that it ached. But his tears wouldn't stop coming, much as he hated to have her see him like this.

"I'm going back to Orb." She whispered into his ear.

It hit him like a deathblow, yet he was not surprised, and did not open his eye, did not show his reluctance as he asked somewhat calmly. "When?"

"In fifteen minutes time." She said as she consulted her watch. He was mildly taken aback. He knew she needed to go, he understood the reason and situation behind her imminent departure. But it didn't make it easier, nor make him more willing to accept that the Orb's interest is certainly more important than him now. It has always been difficult, but more so now when he selfishly and desperately wanted her to remain by his side.

"You should go…Cagalli…" he whispered dryly, still refusing to look at her. Afraid that once he looked at he could no longer muster the willpower to let her go.

_Just leave me alone and let me be…_

He whispered silently.

"Athrun." She interrupted as she cupped his face and forced him to face her.

If she disapproved, she did not show it. But Cagalli had poured a glass of water and lifted it to his dry and cracked lips, Athrun looked at her, then the glass hesitantly before his lips they parted obediently, allowing Cagalli to help him drink. He sipped gratefully, feeling the water run over the parched section in his throat and freshen the bile taste in his mouth.

When he was done, she placed the cup on the table and studied him uncertainly for a long time, as if she was handling glassware.

"…If it hurts, tell me." She said shortly as she slipped one hand behind his neck and draped the other gently over his collarbone, his head rested on her thin shoulder. It did hurt, but he liked the feeling, though he could not reciprocate the action with his broken arm lying bandaged on her side.

"You know what…This close…"she whispered, gesturing deliberately for emphasis. "This time I was this close to losing you."

He was startled by the vehemence in her voice as she continued, "Every time…every time I leave you alone, something…!" She caught herself, and she continued in a choked whisper, "…Something happens to you…"

Athrun didn't know why, but he bit his lip and tears began running down the side of his face in earnest. She tightened her grip around him, reassuring him. Both of them cried together.

"I'll never leave you alone again…"

_It was something he wanted to hear, and all he wanted was to put his arms around her, but he was losing consciousness rapidly, his eyelids felt like lead over his eyes. He could scarcely breathe. He held on grimly, determined to not spend these last precious fifteen minutes sleeping. Yet he also knew if he sleep he couldn't cry, and crying was weakness. And weakness would not be tolerated in situations like this, he had to pull himself together, he had to do his duty. He couldn't break down now, no matter how tired or injured he was, no matter what it costs him to deny himself..._

"Athrun…relax. You're safe. With us…" she spoke, then paused, "So it's okay for now, I'll protect you…You're safe." She repeated the last line as if to convince herself. She took his wrist, the one that had been slit.

Athrun shuddered, thinking about the blade that had broken the surface.

She kissed his palm, then interlocked her fingers through his.

"Sleep."

He obeyed, and allowed his eyelids to slip shut. The world became still, and peaceful. All he could hear is her even, full breathing onto his forehead, in contrast to his own shallow breaths. And he could feel his mental defenses slipping.

"Aren't you…gonna ask me…?"

"About?"

"…Janurius." He croaked.

She hesitated, then shook her head, "I…would have killed Marlene, and I know you would too."

Athrun nodded. At least she trusted him, just her, _she believed him_…

"If I did that, others won't condemn us. But I'll condemn myself forever, for they would never what it's like… to take a child into your heart, and to love him or her more than life itself." She uttered dreamily, her voice low and grave as she went on.

"…We knew this path will bring us nothing…… but grief, danger and sorrow." She teased his hair as she mused, "...Being with you is a constant challenge, Maximillion and Marlene may be our greatest liabilities, but not our mistakes."

_He sensed the intensity and truth of her words, and it brought him comfort, yet... _

"Yzak…" he said through gritted teeth, unable to contain his pain any longer. "His wife and unborn child…I killed them … Kira … Lacus … Nicol … Meyrin's father…" He couldn't bring himself to repeat the list, and despair claimed him then, he broke down and sobbed. She rubbed her hand up and down his shoulder as he uttered. "…I killed them…I killed them all…!"

She did not let him finish, but kissed his lips; hard. The contact was hungry, and Athrun kissed back. Reciprocating the longing and deepened the kiss. It was wet with tears, and tasted sweet, salty and bitter at the same time. His heart swelled with the flood of emotions to the point he thought he'd explode. And when she broke away at long last, he could feel her touch the left side of his face, fingering the bandages and her anger was made known.

_He did not really know why, but as he drifted off, it felt as if he'll see Cagalli ever again even though she was right there beside him, something had changed while he was not looking. He had lost her as well. The inkling intensified, and became more real with each passing second and fear gripped his heart. _

_There was something Cagalli felt he did not need to know now, not with him in this current state. It scared him, but there was nothing he could do. She was as stubborn as he is. It felt as if losing her was the price for his inadequacy. There was no redemption now, too many have died, too many have shed their blood for him to live._

_For now, it's okay to cry…But I'll be strong again, I'll redeem the situation. Whatever the cost.. I'll fight.._

He swore this oath to himself, and to her as he whispered into her ear, as a good-bye. "Thank you."

He wanted to beg her not to go, to stay with him for another few hours. But he also knew he was being selfish. She nodded in gratitude, and added in a small voice, "Sleep."

He obeyed, assured that she will remain beside him for as long as she can. Knowing that he did not need to see her turn her back on him and walk out of that room for the last time brought certain relief.

He allowed darkness to take him then, and he slipped back into oblivion.

---

She lay him back down on the pillows, her heart wrenching at the fact that he was light enough for her to do so with ease. His breathing was very weak, but at least calm and even. Now he is just asleep, and not out like before.

She gazed at his pale and drawn face, heart-broken.

She liked his face, and his new haircut. But underneath the bandages on his face lay a disfigurement that neither of them wanted to talk about. Dr Sas said that the cut was deep, though not enough to blind, the scar will be permanant. Her fingers made contact with his fringe, brushing away the stray strands that covered his left eye.

It was a miracle he was still alive, especially after the initial hypovolaemic shock. His heart had stopped beating for a total of two minutes before Dr Sas managed to resucitate him, a new doctor would have panicked. For the next two days Athrun needed as much help as he can get to survive, but more than that, the injuries he sustained are more internal than external, the healing needed had to come from his own body; from within himself. It did not look like he was capable of such a tedious healing, it looked like Athrun will die. But against all odds he survived, he survived out of sheer willpower.

She arranged the blankets over his torso, and noticed that he was holding on to the necklace she had given to him all those years. She smiled. Their wedding ring had been added to the collection, as if signifying the strength of the bond shared between them. It was not as if she could wear one and parade it around Orb, people notice small details like this and it might give them away. They had to be careful of never being affectionate towards each other unless they were certain they are alone. It was hard to trust, and easy to second guess, especially when both of them have alot of suitors. Cagalli could not help noticing his closeness with certain pretty secretaries, and he did not like her near certain handsome emirs. They had a set of golden rules written up between them and signed by both parties. It includes no holding hands, no kisses, not even friendly ones and no touching. The last thing they need was for some reporter to capture it on film and distribute it nation-wide...

Cagalli almost laughed. It was strange how hard they worked to make 'them' work, but for now it felt like it was worth it.

Athrun is strong, had always been, no matter what he thinks of himself at the moment. Dr Sas came and told her Athrun came out of coma, appears fine but is upset. And he needed her to find out the state of his mental health. Cagalli had made it a point to find out most of all that happened during his imprisonment with Marlene gesticulating wildly, Max jumping around and translating at the same time. Thinking about it made her blood boil, but through that she realized that the timeline fits, especially how the fake Kira get down to accomplishing so much in so little time. She also knew that they had not been very nice to Athrun. Marlene was left pretty much alone most of the time, it was Athrun whom they wanted to hurt and break. But now Cagalli knows, his spirit had held, he was not so different from the one who was kidnapped three weeks ago.

She wiped at the sticky tear stains that trailed down from his right eye. She never saw him cry, not since Patrick Zala died. But she knows he will be fine, after crying, he will wipe away his tears and move on. He will pick himself up...just like he did before.

"...I love you, Athrun."

This was her goodbye. It may be too late when he finds out the truth, but that was the whole point. They needed to do something to redeem the situation, and it will be a whille before he was fit enough to lead an army, much less pilot. They needed time, and she will buy some. It will be dear, but it will be worth it.

She leaned forward, and kissed her sleeping prince on the forehead. Unaware of the camera lens that peeked through the crevice through the door...

---

This is an important chapter, just as the last chapter indicates reunion, this one meant separation. Athrun and Cagalli will both do what they have to in order to end the war, but will their paths converge once again, or will they be separated forever by death? This is meant to be an epic story, enjoy and review!!

Before I forget...Merry Christmas! Thank you all for your support and wonderful reviews in the past year and may the coming year be a year of hope and peace. God bless you all!

Yours

Ming


	14. Chapter 14: Sacrifice

Chapter 14: Sacrifice

"What do you think we should do?" Lunamaria's vice captain, Coral Crippen whispered into her ear.

Lunamaria did not know. Soldiers are meant to fight when they are told to do so; they were to obey without question, submit without challenge.

_But …_

Resentment is bound to prevail due to the destruction of Janurius, and it acts like the first push to set the pendulum in motion. The cascade will follow; blood will be shed from both sides. And the results will be absolutely devastating, but it will be a battle that summates all others. It will be a battle worth fighting. It will be one that absolute victory meant Xenocide.

By framing Athrun with the destruction of Janurius, people will no longer wish to associate with PLANTs, perceiving their leadership incompetent and cruel. The so-called attack on the EAF ship was merely an accident, and it happened because of one new and inexperienced, but immensely powerful pilot. Now it was used as a reason for war. Secondly, PLANTs will experience a legitimate change in leadership without a fight. And if all things proceed at the rate they are going now, this first battle will be a test of loyalties.

"Tad Elthman never wanted to win, he wants to find out who are loyal to him; and who will fight an enemy who had almost become allies three weeks ago." She reasoned out to herself, and the realization became more concrete.

"Level three battle alert!" She called into the microphone, "Prepare to engage enemy, activate stealth mode!"

"Are we going to fight?" Coral whispered.

"No." She replied, then she caught her Vice-captain's eye. "Athrun…Chairman Zala never killed anyone."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not." Lunamaria replied bluntly, "But think about it, he is a Coordinator after all. He may have been advocating peace between Naturals and Coordinators for years, but he's still one of us. He'd never murder one of his own, he'll defend PLANTs. And I'm not so sure I wanna eradicate Naturals."

"It's a war, you choose a side. Then you stick to it. We…have chosen a side."

"…Then I'm on Athrun's side."

Coral sighed, and for a moment she looked much older than she really is.

"Why do I have an insufferable-naïve-little-know-it-all who idolizes Chairman Zala as a captain?" She snapped.

Lunamaria considered her vice-captain's statement. Hesitating, deliberating, and not knowing what to say.

"He…" She started slowly, and it felt as if the people on the bridge were all leaning a little closer to what she had to say. "He was our battle commander on my very first ship, with Shinn and Rey…"

Luna paused, "Athrun was …different, he's a person with an overwhelming sense of Justice, and a competent, perfect soldier. He was the first commander who could subdue Shinn, and I think…Shinn saw the same thing as I did in him…"

"Which is?"

"That we could follow him for the rest of our lives."

Her vice-captain was silent, as if weighing the magnitude of her words, her declaration of absolute loyalty.

"And… if he tells you to strap a bomb on your waist and run into the PLANTs council room?" She questioned, trying to sound like she still had the upper hand in this argument.

Luna gave a bitter laugh, "I think I'll do it."

"Figures."

The entire ship simmered out of visible spectrum…

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

"You're really going to fight?" Belle asked him for the umpteenth time. He sighed as he limped into the lift, no longer bothering to reply.

_No one else seems to understand_.

If Zaft is fighting EAF, then the situation will escalate into a war, and a war is something they had been trying to prevent, because this war will definitely be the last.

Seven years ago, many died to appease the aggression; many more sacrificed to bring it to an end. This time, the Naturals will definitely choose to end it all. They will choose to do what Patrick Zala has done seven years ago. _. _

The only way; is absolute victory, and absolute victory now can only mean murdering every last one of his people, obliterate the Coordinators. The killings of the haflings have already started, and the event speaks for itself as a predecessor of what is about to come.

That was why Cagalli left Max and Marlene with him even though she knew that this ship will enter battle. Mrs Yamato has also evacuated the children from Kira's and Lacus's orphanage.

And if the EAF can enter so confidently into a battle that is obviously a trap, they probably have enough reason to believe they can walk out safely with a smile on their faces.

_A final weapon._

But the issue is, why had Tad Elthman not seen the impending doom? Why did he choose to send the Zaft army despite knowing they were in grave danger?

If he guessed correctly, then there is no time at all. He had to do something before Zaft steps blindly into the enemy's snare.

Weakness assaulted him, and for a moment the floor seemed to melt into a neon pink, gooey jell'o. He tried to steady himself with a hand on his hot forehead, every breath seemed to scorch his windpipe. He was faintly aware of the lift door opening in front of him.

"Chairman?" Belle asked in concern as she touched him on the shoulder, unfortunately, her touch worked like a shove. For a moment Athrun realized he had lost balance and consciousness, then woke up almost instantly, finding himself in Meyrin's embrace.

"S…Sorry." He started as he straightened himself and pulled away, but she held on to his arm. He lifted his gaze to look at her questioningly.

She only smiled as she slung his hand over her shoulders, acting as a make-shift clutch; Athrun was grateful.

"Just like old times." She mused. "Only better. A blinded eye, and broken arm, a 40 degrees fever and a set of poker-dotted pajamas doesn't stop you. Trying to kill yourself this time?"

"I'm not blind." He retorted, mildly surprised at her cynicism. Usually it was Cagalli's job. "…And I'm not trying to kill myself." He coughed.

"Then what are you doing out here? Dr Sas telecomed the bridge, telling anyone who sees you to 'Stop that idiot and return him to the infirmary.'"

"You won't."

She shrugged nonchalantly, "…You're right. I won't, but he might." She pointed forward, where a man mountain face Athrun.

Athrun was forcibly reminded of a large, ferocious bear stuffed in a white uniform. The man stood at least 2 meters tall, was bald and have black rings under his eyes. He also has a remarkably curly, blond mustache and has rather tan complexion. His build was that of a body-builder and more, his palms looked powerful enough to crush someone's ribcage.

The worst thing is, he leered down at Athrun with a mixture of contempt and disgust. Athrun had a distinct feeling that his black eyes were boring holes into his body, but he stood his ground.

"This is Captain Mark Jocose…" Meyrin introduced, and her sentence was punctuated by the sound of a gun safety being pulled back.

_Guess who the gun is being aimed at._

Athrun stood there, unblinking. Holding his breath as he shifted such that he was standing in front of Meyrin.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you." The voice was bass-low, and brimmed with anger. Athrun swallowed briefly, and kept himself from shaking as he replied.

"Because I've done nothing to deserve it. When I do, I'll tell you."

His words were a lot braver than he felt; he stood on the other end of the gun barrel. There was a lot of nerve, maybe too much; and it seemed even weightier as the man's index finger tightened ever so slightly over the trigger.

Athrun swallowed what might well be his very last breath.

He understood that the man was deciding whether to trust him. And he knew that if he could not even cross the first hurdle, his attempts to convince the world are doomed to fail.

The staring match continued, and every next instant seem to decide his fate. Athrun stood up the giant with a gun. Perspiration started rolling down his temple. The bridge crew watched, not daring to breathe for it seemed as if the slightest disturbances would ignite the gunpowder in the air.

At last, the pistol was lowered. And he saluted.

"…Chairman Zala."

"Captain Jocose." He managed to return the salute weakly. The tension was still there, but at least now it is contained.

Captain Jocose opened his massive palm, and within lay the captain's hook. Athrun gasped softly.

It signified the control of the fleet. The officer was handing it over to him. Suddenly Athrun realized that he very much preferred the man as an ally.

"Aren't you going to stay on board?" He questioned as he eyed the equipment.

The captain only smiled a smile that showed all his teeth; it was a sight to behold.

"I am going to exercise."

Athrun realized his breathing was faster, his heart pounded; yet his mind was calm. Seven years ago, he had shed his armour and lay down his sword, and had willingly taken on the role of PLANTs representative. He had put on the mask of a peacemaker and sworn never to make the same mistakes as his father. He would never wage war against the nations of the world.

_Yet now…_

He knew that once he took up the device, there would be no return. There is no turning back from violence and bloodshed.

Taking a deep breath to brace himself, his hand gingerly enclosed over the captain's hook, feeling its cold surface kiss his palm. Then he lifted it gently.

He did not know if it was just his imagination, for it felt unusually heavy for something so small. It felt like a little sword, he hooked it over his ear, and heard voices as a few faces appeared on screen.

"Finally. I thought I'd stand here long enough to grow a mustache." One person sighed irritably.

"Shinn…?"

"Hey kid!"

"Captain la fllaga?!"

"Your like your new haircut?"

"…Dearka…?"

"Guess who else is here?" Dearka piped up, and he pointed to his left, where Belinda and Bethany waved enthusiastically, and they were joined swiftly by Belle.

"Why are you still in your pajamas?" She asked jokily.

Athrun shrugged, not knowing how to express the turmoil of feelings in his heart.

It's been a long time since he felt like shedding tears, but now his eyes felt hot.

Though there were no warm words of 'Welcome back' or even a casual 'How have you been?'. But he realized he felt immensely grateful just to be able to live to see his friends once again.

There was not just friendship, but the thing they knew he needed the most.

_Loyalty._

He dropped his head, shame-faced, half-feeling as if he did not deserve this sort of reception; feeling as if he did not deserve to have anyone fight for him. Some of them he knew deep down, he might never see again. Others, he will have to send to their deaths, but it seemed that what Dr Sas said may be true.

_As Chairman you now earn respect by proving that you knew what to do with an army when it is placed in your hands, and prove that you will not sacrifice them unless the cause is worthy enough. And when the day comes, if you tell them to die for you, they will do so valiantly, willingly_.

These are his soldiers.

He saluted. They returned the salute.

"Zala, grow a spine." The voice came one who he stood aloof, and Athrun's heart wrenched painfully as he laid eyes on that person.

From what had been a man so full of fire, he had now been changed into an entity that is entirely different. This Yzak Jule that stood before him…was but an empty shell.

He gazed into his aquamarine eyes, and desperately sought for familiarity. He searched for that flame; that general irritability and brutal bluntness that had once been an intrinsic part of his comrade that he respected and loathed at the very same time. But now...

_There was nothing… _

He was gazing into a pair of eyes that did not radiate anger nor hatred; and bellied neither sadness nor grief. It felt as if nothing was left of the man that Athrun had valued as an equal and as a friend. There was just…_Nothing._ Yet, just standing there, and gazing into his friend's eyes. Athrun felt a shiver run up his spine. Yzak felt…_dangerous._

_I'm sorry to be the one who pushed you past the brink of anger and despair. _

"Yzak…" Athrun called, forcing himself to hold Yzak's gaze. Yzak ignored him and turned to walk towards the Mystic.

A sour feeling came riding up his chest, and her face flashed past his mind's eye. Cagalli had left him as well. His hand enclosed around the necklace, and he suddenly felt so cold, there was an unexplainable tremor that coursed through his body. Even though they had always met, then parted, and met again in the last seven years. This time felt different.

_This time felt like the end._

_Why?_

He shook himself inwardly, forcing himself to concentrate at the mission at hand. Captain Jocose was not easy to ignore as he gestured towards the Captain's seat. Athrun nodded once as he studied the oversize chair, and sat down. Placing his hands on the controls on the pair of armrests of the chair.

"Tell them we're coming." Captain Jocose advised quietly, and left the bridge.

The crew looked expectantly at Athrun, and he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

"Chairman Zala, what's our declaration?"

"Tell them this." He said simply.  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"_Win, kill Athrun Zala, or he dies."_

_Kira only nodded mindlessly, willing for them to stop hurting Nicol. _

Kira took a deep breath as his hands wrung the controls impatiently.

_Kill Athrun Zala. _

The singular intent filled him with dread. They were approaching Zaft's frontline, and their flagships hastened forward, meeting in the middle of the two forces. Kira waited, he had no idea how to accomplish his task, since he did not even know where Athrun is. And even if he did know where he is, he was not sure if he could do it.

He had met the other man, and one look into his emerald green eyes told him everything he needed to know. Athrun is not a murderer, no matter what others told him about it. And more importantly, Athrun is his friend…

And as if on cue, a message appeared on his screen, it was from an unknown Zaft vessel still some distance away, and it was separated from the main fleet. The message consists of only two words, but Kira found himself astounded by the simplicity and beauty of it.

_Justice lives. _

_00000000000000000000000000000000000000000_

Justice lives.

Light's heart skipped a beat. And he found himself oddly relieved, yet angry at the same time. So Athrun Zala survived capture by the EAF…

Spencer looked at Kira thoughtfully as he asked "Kira? You're a soldier from Orb."

"Yes. So?"

"Will you fight Athrun?"

"I……He calls himself the embodiment of justice." He paused for effect. "Yet… he killed twenty thousand people with one word."

"How do you know Athrun did it?"

"…I don't really know…" He answered after a moment of weighted hesitation, there was pain in his tone, and a helplessness that Spencer hardly saw in his person. Kira Yamato has always been a powerful soul.

"I'm launching." Spencer decided.

"Spencer…"

"Yeah?"

"Your role is to capture him…don't hurt him." Kira pleaded, "Unless…"

"Unless? Unless what?"

"Unless he hurts you first."

They watched, as the two flagships gathered in the middle of the fleets, to meet and negotiate one final time. Both forces were massive, and from Light's position in the bridge, the opposing forces spanned the whole, entire windscreen. The Zaft flagship turned, returning to the main fleet, and the war is about to start.

Light smiled.

Someone fired.

The EAF flagship was blasted out of its misery.

00000000000000000000000000000

"The Corona…!!" Shinn gasped, "Luna…" He watched as the EAF forces fell momentarily into disarray, shocked and angered by the sudden destruction of their flagship. It was not an honourable thing to do, and he wondered if Luna consented to her craft being used this way. It is undoubtedly the most powerful ship in the whole production line, and was meant as a transport craft for important persons. It can absorb light rays, cosmic rays and literally disappear from radar by entering stealth mode. No one on the battle field can locate that ship, unless of course, they are out in space and get run down by it.

_They were too late._

Athrun ordered their little party to go full speed ahead to meet the main Zaft forces. But Shinn could not see how it would help. The EAF has managed to rearrange their soldiers and began a counterattack. And soon the space was a mix of red and green, of signal flares and main cannons. And from the looks of it, Zaft was at disadvantage. Their forces were out numbered. And the fight is occurring too close to the PLANTs, making their homeland the primary target, and a liability. They cannot win by being distracted and defensive.

Shinn charged forward in his Destiny, dodging the lasers that shot past him. Disabling four mobile suits with his beam rifle. His job was to hold the EAF army off, and wait for the Zaft forces to come to their senses. Every person here- all who are not devoted to the cause of Tad Elthman- will die. This is an army that he would rather destroy than let Athrun have.

_And it is up to Athrun now._

Shinn understood, the fact that they launched at all immediately qualifies them as rebels, and of course, instant cannon fodder. But that does not mean he will sit quietly and be _good_ cannon fodder.

Just as that thought was formed, a strange object appeared on his target screen.

_It must be the secret weapon of the federation, the secret weapon that instilled confidence._

It looked like two bowls spinning over each other.

Shinn tried not to laugh a he opened fire on it, and the laser shots hit the shiny surface, and the beams deflected.

_Crap! It has an armour like the Akatsuki!_

He knew he had to wait for it to come nearer, then use non-beam weapons on it. He incapacitated three more Zakus as he withdrew his Excalibur. It was then Athrun's command came, "Shinn, retreat!"

He was irritated and retorted, "What are you so scared of?"

He aimed briefly, then charged forward to meet the secret weapon, planning to slash it in half from top down. But at the last moment, the bowls separated from each other, and he found himself sandwiched between the two pieces.

Before he knew what was happening, pain shot from his nerve endings at his hands and feet, pouring into his system like liquid fire, ravaging all that there was in its path as it raged towards his torso. He did the only thing he could, he screamed.

--

Athrun was watching the battle play out on three dimensional simulations, and attempting to figure out which is the commanding vessel of the Federation upon the destruction of the flagship. If they got back their organization so quickly, chances are that their leader was not on the flagship when the Corona fired. The core of their army was still intact.

Their forces were so massive that they went beyond the scope of the simulator. Yet they are an organized army, their formations are designed to lure the Zaft army by platoons slowly and surely out into the open, then destroy them. They did not have to aim particularly well, nor even be quick; they just have to ensure they outnumber their enemy every time. Athrun ordered his own forces to stay clear of these traps, and focus on disabling all that they could on the frontlines.

When this strategy ceased to have effect, the Federation adapted quickly. Now instead of trapping platoons, they arranged themselves into arrow heads, and if the tip gets destroyed, the second will simply replace it and this will minimize the area that can be targeted. And small flocks of unidentified objects were sent out and they slogged across the screen. The computer identified them as mobile armours, but Athrun seriously doubted so. They look as if they are fresh out of the dishwasher and seem to post no threat. No arms, no legs, no weapons. Similarly, their formations were like liquid mercury, each group took its place in front sometime and retreated some other, there was no way to tell which ship the leader is on.

The armoured bowls reached the first of the Gouf populated areas.

Then something else caught his attention, there was one absolutely devastating force on the battle field, that was wiping out soldiers on both sides like they were made of paper. And it was none other than the Mystic, Athrun was alarmed, Yzak usually does not fight like that. The usual one never slaughters.

_Seed mode…The result of extreme grief and anger. _

"Yzak!"

Then it met a windam, and they engaged each other for several minutes. Through the static, Athrun could only hear the two man shouting, and his heart leapt as he heard, "Let me…Athrun…"

Very, very few people calls him Athrun nowadays, and the voice sounded awfully familiar. Then the differences in response time of the suits made the difference. The windam blasted off a leg, while Yzak hit the cockpit, most of its shell is blown off. And at the moment Athrun saw the pilot of the windam, he yelled.

"Stop!!"

_It was Kira._

He was bleeding from a wound on his head, but appeared alive and was still semi-conscious. Mystic's large mechanical hand wrap around Kira, and Athrun's heart was filled with dread as he realized what Yzak was about to do. "Yzak, NO!!"

But Yzak was lost to him, there was no answer as he watched Mystic's hand tighten slowly around the torso of his injured friend.

Kira could only scream, and pleaded with Yzak. Either he is not listening, or he just can't hear them anymore. In an agonizingly slow motion, he squeezed his prey till he coughed twice, and stopped struggling. Athrun could almost hear Kira's ribs being crushed a she continued shouting and desperately begged for his voice to be heard. "Yzak, don't let it control you! Please!! YZAK!!"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There was a buzzing in his brain that he could not identify nor explain, it was a fresh experience. At the moment all he could perceive was anger and vengeance, and it made him feel invulnerable, it made him invincible. His heart pounded wildly in his ears, and his breathing was coming hard and fast.

He dispatched of everything that stood in his way with ease and gladness. It was a frightful but delightful feeling. He knew he was destroying the enemy, and the thing that made him almost afraid of his own power was that he was glad that he was man-slaughtering them. And the more violent their deaths, the more excited he became.

One particular windam caught his attention, for an EAF mobile suit, it was incredibly fast. _As if the pilot within is a…_

He laughed, though he was not aware. And charged at it, the pilot was trying to communicate with him, he ignored it. They engaged each other, and after a few blows Yzak managed to damaged the cockpit.

He reached forward, wanting nothing more than to award the pilot with the most bloody and undignified death imaginable. Mystic's hand clamped over the torso of the pilot like a vice, and he tightened slowly, wanting to enjoy every second of him dying in agony. The pilot of the windam screamed, thrashed, and stopped making stupid requests of wanting to see someone. And after a while he stopped moving altogether.

Then Athrun's voice reached his ears.

_YZAK!! _

Yzak stopped. For the first time, he answered, "Ath……thrun?" as if coming awake from a deep slumber. The buzzing stopped, and Yzak realize what he was doing. He was disgusted.

"Don't kill Kira!"

Yzak blinked, then seemingly for the time, gazed at his victim-to-be. His blue orbs widened slightly. His hand loosened, and Kira flopped back down on the pilot seat like a broken rag doll.

_What have I done?_

His hands were trembling as his hands let go of the controls, and his breathing a wreck.

"Yzak, are you…okay?"

Yzak did not know why, but Athrun's concern made his blood boil.

"Mind your own business!" He snapped, "You have better things to do than meddling with my business!!"

Athrun nodded, then requested, "Bring Kira back."

"Fine."

Then a series of blows rained down on them from behind, and Yzak did as he had just promised, he did what he could to shield the windam. But beside him, something exploded. Then everything went black.

oooooooooooooooo

"KIRA! YZAK!!"

Athrun tore his attention away from all else, and watched the bowls intently. He could only pray that both Yzak and Kira survived. He had to do what he could.

"Full screen."

Upon arrival at the frontlines, the bowls will hover inwards towards its target, at the last minute, split open and look like a hamburger for a few moments .The bowls were not hollow. Athrun thought it will crush the target, but no such thing happen, nothing more than a purple spark will pass between the two pieces. The target showed no signs of struggle, but will go still, as if it was sedated. Another purple speck, smaller than the last. The bowls recombine. Then the target will reanimate in a few moments and continue advancing towards the enemy.

_A stunner. Something that disrupts transmission of impulses in machineries. _

Athrun believed he had it figured out, and told all his ships to relay to the pilots. 'Don't get close', aim at the interior of the bread while it is tackling others.' But something nagged at him from the back of his mind, the reanimated suits would meet the motherships, but no destruction seemed to happen.

Suddenly the answer struck him.

His attention went back to his own forces, and the closest to one of those bowls was Destiny.

"Shinn, retreat!"

_What are you so scared of?_ Was the reply. Athrun cursed under his breath, then almost regretted it as he heard his comrade scream. It was a primal expression of anguish, more animal than human, and it shook Athrun to the very core.

"Shinn!!"

--

Shinn thought he heard someone calling his name, and he forced his eyes open one last time. His mind was sluggish, and almost robbed of all it energy from the overload of the intense stimulations that flooded through all his senses at once. He could not even feel his arms and feet. He remembered only one thing.

_I don't want to die._

His hands tightened over the controls.

_I don't want to die!_

His whole body was trembling, as if the very cells suddenly did not agree with each other. It was a frightening feeling, and he felt as if he might shatter like glass. He was even afraid to breathe, for the fear that with every laborious breath he drew, cells that dislodged from his own windpipe will choked him.

With every last ounce of life force he still possessed, he lifted the Excalibur.

With a last shout, he plunged it into the pit of the bowl above.

--

Athrun swallowed, he did not know if Shinn was still alive, or even in one piece. Destiny appeared undamaged after the destruction of the bowl, but it floated aimlessly in space. Meaning the pilot has been incapacitated.

Now he was really cannon fodder.

Then Destiny started to move in the direction of the Wyrm, and Athrun was momentarily relieved, "Shinn?"

There was no reply. Suddenly Destiny disappeared.

Athrun realized what was happening.

"Open broadcast in that vector."

"But Chairman, there's nothing there but Zaft ships."

"I'm looking for just one. It doesn't matter if the other ships hear it."

--

"Captain Hawke… Do you copy?"

"Ath… Chairman Zala."

Several people on bridge gasped. One took out a gun and jerkily aimed it at Luna, another bridge crew subdued him. Coral wrestled him to the ground, took off his uniform and used it to tie him to a chair.

"The mutiny has been contained, Mdm."

"Good work." She acknowledged.

--

The reply was from Lunamaria, and Athrun dared to hope, he stared at the simulation for a few more seconds, and realized that there was a core to the forces at the far side of the battlefield. And the more he stared at it, the more convince he was of his deduction. Though it shifted and melt into the stream of it forces, it stood out by never being anywhere where the fighting is the fiercest, and it avoided Athrun's troops as far as it can.

Athrun knew the EAF leader, though never on peaceable terms, he is a great man. He knew when to fight and when to retreat, he fought to win. He knew that Athrun still have means enough to destroy him and chose not to provoke a fight.

He needed to win this gamble. No one else knew the relationship between Luna and Shinn, and she had pretended to take him hostage.

"Captain Hawke. I have valuable information, but I trust you not to inform any of your men."

A flash of doubt was seen across her features.

"Then we're doomed."

"Cooperate with me. Spare my soldiers."

"We'll all die."

_So she knew of Tad Elthman's intention to destroy all who aided Athrun._

"Fine, you can stay in contact with the Zaft troops. And in fact, I ask for your permission to speak to them."

"How do I know whether you'll lead them to destruction? Just as you did with Janurius."

"Only those whom believe, I can lead."

"I will not entertain such a request."

Lunamaria understood, there was a portion of the Zaft force that insistently lagged behind and refused to engage the enemy, these are marked for destruction, and any minute now, when all the attention is focused on the frontlines. Tad Elthman will activate the remote key, and destroy that portion of the army without anyone noticing. He can just make up an excuse after that.

A weighted silence passed between Luna and Athrun.

"The price of the next five minutes…will be my life."

She hesitated then said, "I understand. My end of the bargain, I'll spare the rest of your troops."

Nothing seems to happen, but Athrun trusted Luna that his voice was being heard by every single Zaft ship there is on the battlefield.

"I am Chairman Athrun Zala."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He swallowed to sooth the dryness in his throat.

"Those bowls are ships, like Trojan horses. They probably carry a special device that only affects organic material, the evidence, there are Zakus and Goufs that are fighting against our forces. The device kills the pilot within, leaving the suit untouched, and use it to confound us by depositing their own pilot into it. They plan to win this war by _devourin_g rather than _destroying_."

He paused, and he heard a soft voice utter behind him, "That's right."

"Now we can't tell our allies from their. But neither can they, their forces are so massive that no simulator can fully comprehend the extend of the battlefield. That's our strategy."

He proceeded to explain the strategy, then finished with.

"Many of you will die, but many more will be saved."

He severed the connection, then found the Corona once again, "Luna."

"Farewell. Chairman Zala." Her voice was choked with tears.

"Thank you."

The connection ended.

There was a silence in the bridge, and after a few more minutes it was punctured by one of the bridge crew. "Chairman Zala, should we board the escape shuttles now?"

"No. They shoot us down anyway."

"Then…we're, just waiting to die?!"

Athrun paused, and turned to look at each of the five bridge crew in the eye. Then smiled.

There was a silent stillness in the room.

One of them stood up, and lifted a trembling hand in salutation.

"Chairman Zala, I'm glad…" She said shakily, "I'm honoured to have been able to serve under you."

One by one, the others stood up, and saluted.

Athrun returned the salute.

--

This is surprising development.

Tad Elthman smiled, maybe he did not have to destroy anyone after all. Athrun had jumped into the trap after all. Upon Athrun's instructions the entire Zaft forces is on the move now, they got insistently close to the bowls, then floated benignly towards the EAF forces, and when the assimilated with the enemy, they backstab them. Others chose the path of self-destruct to inflict maximum damage.

The tables have been turned, but soon this strategy will not work, the EAF will have to start destroying their spoils. But that was of no consequence, the bowls will only work for a while anyway. In the end, the victory will belong to the Zaft army, and glory to the overall commander.

"Kill him." He ordered.

Tad Elthman watched intently as the Corona swiftly proceeded towards the Wyrm. He wanted to see Lunamaria kill her former commander with his own eyes, he wanted to ensure that there was no sabotage, no resistance. He wanted to see and hear Athrun die.

The Wyrm sent out four mobile suits that spread out and attacked.

_Just as I thought._

He will not surrender without a fight.

They attacked, shooting in a wide spread but missing every time. Nothing can hit the Corona if it does not want to be hit. Their resistance is futile.

"Captain."

"Yes, sir."

The Corona's cannons disabled all four in less than a minute.

Tad Elthman felt his heart pumping faster as the Corona charged up it's main cannon.

_Hurry._

The computer locked on to the target, and the captain gave the order.

"Fire!"

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Athrun closed his eyes as the whole windscreen lit up with a blinding glare.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Spencer watched, heart in mouth, as the laser beam seemed to slug towards the Wyrm. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. It hit the target on the mark, and a few milliseconds elapsed.

Then the whole ship blew up.

Soon, nothing was left but metal and tissue debris.

Luna saluted then. Tears were running down her face freely now. But she did not make a sound as she cried.

Others would have realized that no more commands were coming from the Wyrm now, and no more will. Some were momentarily stunned, others attacked again, Lunamaria ordered her soldier to disable, not destroy those suits.

There was honour in war, honour in only the victor, and she intended to retain that honour.

_Chairman Zala is dead._

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Destroy them!" Tad ordered. But Luna looked at him in the eye through the screen, "Sir, I have my honour."

"Are you disobeying orders?"

"We do not harm a defenseless army. And no sir, I will not disobey your orders, Chairman Zala is dead."

Tad Elthman was satisfied, but how can he not be?

The Corona went in pursuit of the EAF flagship, sure enough, found it, Spencer destroyed two of its three engines and threatened to destroy the last unless they retreated. They did.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

The battle was over in 4hours. Minimal casualties, a great victory for Zaft. The middle faction collected the remnants of their forces, and retreated quietly. Nothing remained of the one who brought the victory.

And proceeding in an equally quiet way, is the mass desertion of about half of the Zaft forces. The drifted towards the rebels. Claiming to want to eradicate the latter…

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

This is chapter 14, please R and R. No, this is not the end.


	15. Chapter 15:I won't die

Chapter 15: I won't die

"_**Please…" he whispered as he looked at the older man, and caught one of his white sleeves, "Please save him……"**_

"_**I'm sorry…" The old man shook his head.**_

"That was…bloody brilliant."

"I didn't expect to escape that mess too. I thought I was going to die there and then!"

"How many of you were still on board?"

"Nice number, eight of us. Us, five bridge crew, one pilot, the reporter girl and the Chairman. Two to each. Me and the Chairman."

"Ah, which explains why everyone else was told to evacuate inconspicuously in batches after the pilots have launched."

"No kidding…It was my first time on mobile suit controls, and he gave all of us a crash course and amazingly taught me enough within five precious minutes that I actually managed not to look like a drunken duck out there. Our suit was meters…METERS away from getting nailed by the main cannons of that blasted invisible ship!"

"You're a Coordinator."

"You're kinda cruel today, you know…It's kinda pressurizing under those circumstances. My hands were shaking so bad that it'll be a miracle if I could still tie my shoelaces!"

"…I heard he's not doing so well."

"You mean the Chairman? He hasn't woken up since… the military doctor said it was secondary infection. Believe me, if you saw him close up like I did you won't believe the crap about him destroying Janurius. He looked as if he had been chained, beaten and starved, then locked up in an iron maiden... No one else seems to be doing as badly though, though we did suffer heavy casualties, the most worrying thing... is that PLANTs leadership is falling apart. The only ones left there are Councilor Elthman, Councilor Amarfi and Councilor Jule. There rest are well, dead."

"While we have the Chairman, Jule junior, and some new enlistees?"

"Get your facts straight, they're **not** new, they just defected."

"Like us?"

"Yeah, kinda …like us."

"Think we're gonna get out of this alive?"

"…I would say our chances are about the same as the Chairman's, to be alive I mean."

"Which is like…about negative infinitely minus one."

"My wife is going to kill me."

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

_There is a baby crying, and she frowned. (She could not tell which one, they had only existed for several days.)_

_She was thoroughly exhausted. _

_Then she felt the warmth beside her depart from her, and she smiled. _

_A few moments later, the crying stopped, and she waited for the source of warmth to return to her, she wanted to be awake to receive him when he did. She wanted to give him a pat on his head for his efforts. _

_She was still not fully recovered from her grueling child-birth experience, and nursing two babies was really a challenge. Athrun had been the one waking up in the morning to attend to his duties at work, and at night to care for their children. He was on the brink of exhaustion, but he insisted that he wanted her to rest, she deserved it. _

_After about five more minutes, Cagalli forced herself to open her eyes. Athrun had not returned, and she started to fret. _

_What if he's so tired he decided to sleep in the baby's room? What if he catches a cold? _

_She got up, wrapped the blanket about herself as she slowly made her way to the next room. _

_The wooden door was slightly ajar, and she heard something, someone was murmuring something incoherently. _

_Worried, she peeked through the door, and saw with relief that it was her young husband. He stood with his slender back towards her, and he crouched over the Marlene's crib. The moonlight cast a gentle and pearl-like glow to his graceful movements, delineating his form in a burst of silver. Snow fell beyond the window, silently and quietly. Her wrapped up feet were already numb with cold, and she noticed that Athrun did not even put on slippers. _

_Cagalli noticed a soiled diaper laid aside on the table, and deduced that he had completed his task, but why had he not returned? _

_He straightened slowly, holding a pink little bundle in his arms. And he just gazed at Marlene for a long, long time while rocking her gently. As if admiring a piece of immensely intricate glassware. And as he did, there was such tenderness and love in his emerald green eyes that make Cagalli feel like crying. _

_Suddenly all her effort felt worth it, everything that was done was worthwhile; just to see Athrun so genuinely happy. _

_On his own… Athrun hardly smiles. He works till five in the morning and then assures every one that he has had a good night's rest. He strives for reconciliation and peace, waiting for the right time to negotiate and insert diplomacy. Under his leadership, many more countries started allowing Coordinators in their borders, in exchange for independence. And as a direct result, many more countries turn to Orb for counsel, which is made readily available. People's lives are changed, history is rewritten, and this is only the beginning. _

_As a leader, Athrun is charismatic. A lot more so than he ever perceived himself to be. He still does not like to be aired on live television for national rallies, and feels that he was never quite good with 'Rallying'. It is true. _

_While other leaders are yelling and declaring aggression; rousing their men to a bloodthirsty mode, Athrun speaks quietly, inviting all to listen. He may not prophesy nor bring forth a solution. But his words generally leave all who left feeling somewhat blessed and more wholesome than when they came. On the whole, the people loved Athrun. But even then, Cagalli could not quite describe him as happy, but merely content, or pleased._

_Athrun smiled now, but Cagalli gasped softly. Moonlight reflected off the tears running down his face, he bit his lip as he held Marlene closer to himself, his arms tightened affectionately around his tiny daughter. _

"_My child…" he whispered. _

_His tears fell on the baby's cheek; Athrun gasped softly, and hastily wiped the area with the tip of his last finger. The infant's face squeezed up a little, and then she squinted, and blinked. _

_Cagalli entered, the blanket slipped off as her shoulders as her hands circled around Athrun's waist, she pressed herself against his back such that she could feel the warmth from beneath his shirt. He stiffened slightly, but did nothing to acknowledge her presence there. _

_He turned slowly to look at her, then uttered an apology, "…Sorry for waking you."_

"…_You don't cry that loud." She mused, still not letting go._

_He did not attempt to laugh, but passed Marlene to Cagalli to hold. She took over as he turned away and wiped roughly at his tears. _

_The infant squirmed, and seeing Cagalli, reached for her breast. Cagalli was mildly amused as she offered. "Hungry?" _

_Athrun picked up the baby boy, and held him for a long time too, as if afraid that someone will seize him away. _

_Cagalli did not ask, but she gazed steadily at Athrun, patiently waiting for him to garner enough courage and reasoning to explain. _

_They're both so beautiful." He whispered wistfully, and he smiled genuinely at Cagalli this time, heart-felt gratitude apparent in his expression. Cagalli found herself a little less worried and a little happier. She wanted to say, "__**You **__are beautiful."_

_But she remained silent, wanting him to go on._

"…_I just…" He started, "I guess I'm just worried about nothing…"_

"_Why?"_

"_As they grow up, they won't have two parents, only two people who will __**lie**__ to them about __**being**__ their adoptive parents and __**are in fact**__ their real parents."_

"_Oxymoronic." Cagalli agreed, and smiled a mirthless smile._

"_What if…?... ...we can't protect them?" Athrun's voice was barely above a whisper as he questioned, and his voice sounded uncharacteristically small and fearful. It did not sound like Athrun Zala at all. His tone betrayed his worry, and at that moment, he was just a new father, worried about whether he'd still be there for his kids the next hour._

"_They'll never have a normal family…nor a normal life…a normal childhood…" He went on softly, and caressed Maximillion's small, soft fingers. "Because of whom we are…and the choices we've made."_

_She went up, and placed a finger on his lips, begging him to say no more._

"_I know, I know that from tomorrow onwards…Only one, of us can be with them...And that's me."_

_Athrun nodded, "I can't possibly nurse them." he added in a matter-of-factly way as he looked down on the ground. Cagalli looked at his chest, and giggled quietly. _

_With the aid of the pearly moonlight, she found a sofa to sit, and eased her night shirt off a little, allowing Marlene to feed. Athrun sat down beside her tentatively, and quietly asked as he saw Marlene gumming her. _

"_Does it hurt?"_

"_Not yet, not till teething starts."_

_He shuddered visibly, and she laughed. _

"_Athrun." _

_He turned to look at her._

"_We'll make a world where our children will never be persecuted, scorned …… despised." Her expression was calm as she said those words, and she looked at him. _

"_By the time they come to know who we are, we'll create a world where their existence is permitted."_

"…_You make it sound so easy." _

"_I never said that, I merely meant it's possible. I want to let them know that we didn't bring them into the world out of mere folly or impulse. We didn't make a mistake by bringing them into the world only to be killed."_

_Athrun looked at her with a stricken expression, more painful than words can describe. But soon he gathered his wits with a few deep breaths, and nodded in agreement. _

_When Marlene was done and had fallen back asleep, Cagalli initiated a swop. And Athrun now held Marlene, the little's girls fingers wrapped tightly about his collar. He did not pry her hand off, but continued to gaze lovingly at the baby's face, pain was upon his brow. _

"_I'll…never let anyone hurt you." He promised softly, half to himself, and half to his diminutive daughter. His fingers parted the pink cloth slightly, and he kissed Marlene's forehead. Then he looked at Cagalli and the baby boy in her arms, and reassured them. "And you, and you."_

"_I know." She replied quietly, "I gave birth to them because I know." She paused, and kissed Athrun on the cheek, and whispered into his ear. _

"_That you'll be a good father."_

_The frown faded from his face, and was replaced by an expression somewhere between doubt and joy. He did not speak, but merely nodded, as if telling himself that it was all true, that it was not a dream._

_After a time, he spoke again._

"_Cagalli, you're the greatest… thank you."_

"_For what?"_

"_For everything."_

_And as he said it, he smiled at her, and to her, it was the most beautiful scene that remained forever imprinted in her heart. _

_Even till after he's gone..._

"Ath…run…?"

"What?"

"Oh…! It was nothing." She recovered her composure quickly and blinked back the tears that had mysteriously gathered in her eyes. She did not realized that she had said his name aloud, and there was a feeling in her heart that she could not identify.

The butler coughed impatiently, and straightened once again.

"Mr Leonidas Fitzbane's car has just arrived outside this building, he will be here in under five minutes."

"Thank you." She acknowledged shakily as she nodded.

"You're welcome." He gave a stiff bow, then took his leave.

Cagalli took a few deep breaths to calm herself, she needed to stop worrying. There was an unsettling feeling that rose up in her heart, and overflowed. It felt…sad and overwhelming. It felt like something ready bad was going to happen, or had already happened.

She willed her eyes roam over the room's decors in order to bring herself back to the present predicament. There wasn't much to see, the emblem of the Earth Atlantic Federation spanned one entire wall.

The door creaked open, and she stood up.

Mmmmmmmmmmm

_He was conscious of people coming and going, people crying and talking beside him. Uttering hurried whispers and profanities; assuming he could not possibly hear what they were saying. The problem is, he could. He heard, he understood, but he cannot do anything about it. He could not move, nor speak, nor awaken._

_He very much wanted to personally strangle some of them, and others he felt the urge to embrace, but it all melted into a blur when the next sentence starts. He was just so exhausted. _

mmm

Kira watched as Dr Sas sighed heavily at the ECG readout.

Athrun lay deadly still on the sheets, even the slight rise and fall of his chest was almost completely disappeared. Prespiration dotted his warm, almost hot, forehead, there was pained expression on his face, which was as pale and bloodless as the sheets he laid on. He was still fighting for his life; with every last bit of strength he could still possible muster.

For the past few days he had been in a fitful, semi-coma state. He was constantly tossing and mumbling incoherently in his sleep. Now his breaths were strained, weak and coming in short, sharp rasps. He struggled to breathe, as there was fluid in his lungs; drowning him slowly, he wheezed and coughed, yet he continued fighting to draw every breath.

All the time, his face was a mask of agony. His body temperature kept rising, and had remained over 40 degrees for the past 48 hours despite the doctor's best efforts. When Kira touched Athrun's lifeless hand-like he did now- it was contrastingly cold and clammy. It was almost frightening to read the signs and put them all together. It felt as if he was hanging on to life only by a thread; and the thread was beginning to fray.

Dr Sas seemed to have run out of options and ways to help. It was a very bad sign. And the worst thing is, they didn't even know what was wrong with him. They don't know how to help him.

Kira could barely walk, but he painstakingly made his way to Athrun's bedside. Every step that jolted his body was a struggle, but he persisted.

Athrun is the only familiar thing in the most extreme settings. Even when in his unconscious form; he remained an utmost comfort to Kira- who is now aboard a Zaft ship, with coordinators and naturals greeting him -and each other- as if they were old friends and comrades; for in fact they were, not that Kira knew. Strange hair and eye colours waved cheerily at him from almost every direction, seeming to make his own tawny brown hair and purple orbs pale in comparison.

"Dr Saspuri?" Kira whispered, that was all he culd manage, for he had sustained three fractured ribs and a broken right arm and was winded from walking all five steps.

Doctor Sas did not answer. He read his patient's pulse, and his frown deepened.

"What's wrong with him?"

"…I don't know." Dr Sas replied frankly as he looked at Kira Yamato in the eye. Kira felt heaviness claim him, and his tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth as he fought down panic.

"…Can't you save him?"

"Nothing seems to be working…" The doctor replied carefully. "The infection that invaded his body was not that of the common kind. It's resistant to the most potent antibiotics and strangely refused to be affected in the least." He examined the infusion bottle that hung overhead with a deep frown as its contents slowly lazed down a clear tube that fed into Athrun's arm.

"In all probability, it is man-made. I know… nothing, except the fact that it was tearing down his immune system almost effortlessly…Now it has progressed so far as to…"

Dr Sas stopped himself, for this was when the door slipped open, admitting a haggard-looking Dearka Elthman. Kira was surprised, and it was enough to make him frown. Dearka was one known for paying extreme careful attention to his appearance. He says that the ladies will notice if no one else.

But at the moment, he looked like any one of them; tired and unshaven. He gazed around, and gave Kira a tight smile.

"How's he doing?"

"…It's…"

Dr Sas was cut off for a second time, for at this point Athrun murmured, and there was a collective intake of air from the three occupants in the room. Kira leaned forward hopefully, desperately wanting to catch real words; and not those breathless, incoherent sounds he had been making.

_He could not remember who was there, what they said, how they acted. Resultantly, it blended into a sort of a comical nightmare that hunted Athrun relentlessly. He ran, he ran though he knew there was no place to run to. If he did run, he would meet something even more bizarre. He was sinking deeper and deeper into the realm of death and darkness._

_Soon he could not seem to retain any thought or memory, but he did remember one thing, he remembered fear, he remembered being afraid, he remembered running endlessly._

_In his terrible dreams, people died. Sometimes Cagalli, sometimes Max and Marlene, but more often Kira, Yzak, Shinn and Dearka. And their deaths would be the most violent of all. It was seldom Lunamaria and Meyrin, or Spencer, Mwu and Murrue. But strangly Lacus, Nicol, Lenore and Patrick Zala seemed to die over and over and over again. _

_Sometimes, he witnessed his friends being murdered. There will be a lot of screaming._

_Then he realized it was his own voice. _

_Someone is dying, he could tell. _

_And he was the murderer. He realized in horror that he was laughing as he tore out her internal organs bare-handed; then proceed to lick the blood off his arms and nibble gently at the soft innards. _

_No…_

_The one he had killed was Lacus_

_NO!!._

But Athrun did not say anything. He looked he was in distress, like someone having a nightmare. He merely coughed feebly.

The frothy blood was dark red in colour.

"Holy shit." Dearka whispered.

Kira gasped as Athrun continued hacking, this time more violently, he groaned in pain between coughs. His body jerked with each cough, in a way that was frightening to watch. Then quite suddenly, he started trashing around in fits. Dr Sas cursed, and shouted to the two, "Come and help!"

"Hey, man! Hang in there!!" Dearka said as he quickly approached Athrun through a flurry of limbs and pinned his shoulders down, narrowly avoiding a flinging arm than threatened to break his nose. He caught both of Athrun's wrists in a forceful hold and clamped them to the pillow.

Kira was not so lucky, he was jabbed in the eye; hard. But he ignored it and swiftly helped hold Athrun down; trying to prevent him from hurting himself and them. Athrun trashed harder, seemingly protesting against the people who held him down, and suddenly he screamed. It was a terrible sound; it was the sound of unbearable pain. His body arched backwards as coughed again, and brought up more black blood which flowed over his pale lips and meandered down the side of his face.

"Athrun!"

"Hold him!!"

"Hey doc, do something! What the hell's wrong with him?"

It was frightening, the amount of strength his debilitated body still possessed, for Kira had to press down on Athrun's legs with nearly all his body weight and could hardly avoid being throw off. He noticed that even Dearka's hands were trembling ever so slightly from the strain.

Dr Sas acted, he stood up and flipped open the port on the infusion bottle overhead, and swiftly injected something into port, then he came. Shifting Athrun's body and forced him to lie on his side; he was apparently trying to make it easier for him to expel the frothy fluid from his lungs.

"Come on, it's alright!" Dr Sas coaxed, then pressed a clean towel to the corner of Athrun's lips, while maintaining a firm hold on his shoulder, such that the bloody, septic fluid would run down by gravity and be soaked up by the fabric; just as dry earth greedily lap up the rain. Soon the blood had formed a dark, sinister patch against the pastel background.

"A…Athrun…!" Kira said.

The fit gradually subsided after a few more minutes, and Athrun gradually stopped moving.

All the men were perspiring.

_Sudddenly, Patrick Zala stood before him. And he raised a pistol. _

_Athrun didn't even have time to draw breath._

_He was shot._

_He was shot again and again till the pistol ran out of bullets, and he did not feel himself land. All he could feel was pain. _

_His wounds felt like they were on fire, as if red-hot daggers pierced him. The rest of him was cold and colder still when lying on a large, Athrun-shaped puddle of blood; which had lost its temperature as it leaked steadily from his perforated body. _

_His senses diminished, till all that remained of the world around him were eerie echoes of voices resembling humans and a mixture of laughter, tears and exclamation._

_He forced himself not to panic, he knew that by that, he could hold on to life- even as he could smell the ferrous odour of blood; and taste it in his mouth, and feel it as it slowly filled and flooded his lungs. He could hear it gently ebbing out of his vessels, and dribbling gently onto the earth. He could feel his empty heart pumping valiantly; till the very last sound ceased._

_Then he saw her. Strangely, it was her sixteen-year-old self. She smiled cheerfully, at him._

_Athrun?_

_Cagalli…_

_He called with the last of his strength. _

_She tilted her head, like a cat studying ikan bilis. Then placed her hands on her hips the way crossed mothers do._

_She didn't respond, but turned. And left._

_ooooooooooooooooo_

Kira noticed that there were pieces of what resemble small, red pebbles mixed among the blood and froth.

"Blood clots." Doctor Sas said in a hushed tone, reminding everyone that Athrun was injured badly, and now very sick. He put the bloodied towel away on a metal tray after cleaning the remnants of scarlet from his nose and cheek.

Athrun shifted feebly, seemingly trying to curl in on himself; but can't. And Kira could feel weak, terrible tremors from his body.

"Let go now. Slowly."

They untangled themselves tentatively at the doctor's instruction, as if afraid that Athrun might turn violent again. But all he did was made small, whimpering sounds as they let go of him. Kira gasped softly, the part where he had been holding was marked by aweful, blue-black discolourations. And he apologized inwardly, it felt like he had hurt his friend. They helped Dr Sas lay him back down on the comforters. Kira helped, as best as he could, and all of a sudden, Athrun said something. And this time Kira actually caught words.

_Ca…ga…li……_

Then Athrun went completely still.

"Athrun!!" he yelled as he shoke his friend hard, but Athrun didn't wake, he didn't-couldn't-respond in any way that showed that he was aware of Kira's voice. Kira knew he was panicking, but he did not care; as long as he can save Athrun. "Come on, wake up!!" He shoke him again.

"Stop it!" Dr Sas shouted at him, "You're not doing him any good!"

"Athrun!!" He tried again.

"KIRA!! STOP IT!!" Dearka bellowed as he straddled Kira from behind. Kira gradually stopped thrashing, and Athrun's head lolled lifelessly to one side, he was still breathing, but barely.

"Then…what?" Kira uttered somewhat calmly, he bit his lip, and forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Slowly, Dearka let go of him.

"Is…he, going to be alright?" Kira asked the doctor in a hurried whisper, hope upon hope that the old man would give him good news. But the Doctor looked away, as if unable to deliver an answer. He sighed again.

"He…maybe…probably only a few hours…" Kira's heart gave an unexpected wrench, "…If lucky, maybe a few days."

"He's…" After a few moments, Kira managed to choke out the word, "…Dying?"

Doctor Sas nodded with difficulty, and said through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry."

And at that moment, the news that was being told to him sank in deep. His eyes felt hot, then blurry, and warm tears overflowed. Despair almost claimed him then, for his only clue to his past was fading out of his reach, too quietly and quickly for him to stretch out his hands and catch it.

Kira's hand tightened urgently around Athrun's, as if holding on to him will somehow prevent him from slipping away. Somehow, he could prevent Athrun from dying.

"No…" He was agitated, his tears fell onto the back of Athrun's hand.

His voice was shaking as he uttered again, more forcefully. "No!"

"…Kira…"

"Please…" he whispered as he looked at the older man, and caught one of his white sleeves, "Please save him……"

"I'm sorry…" The old man shook his head, "There's nothing more… we can do. Unless by some miracle, he wakes up..." He uttered, totally defeated, "Nothing except start gathering the people who matter, and let everyone say goodbye."

"You're...just going to let him die?" Kira whispered softly, yet the accusation rang out loud. The doctor glared at him, and Kira realized that there was genuine sorrow in those tired-looking grey eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"…Someone…has…to tell Cagalli, and the kids." Dearka said quietly, and everyone turned to look at him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

_Athrun closed his eyes, and faded away. And in the darkness, one sole scrap of thought resonated in his mind._

_I don't want to die._

On earth. Cagalli's eyes widened.

She did not quite understand why she could not concentrate on the terms that was being offered to her, and her companion noticed, stopped and asked, "Representitive Cagalli Yula Athha, are you alright?"

"Huh?"

"You seem..." He paused, "Distracted."

She frowned, and nodded apologetically, "Forgive me, Leonidas, I am."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She whispered. Her heart felt heavy.

He smiled, and Cagalli cringed guiltily. Leonidas Fitzbane, leader of EAF has a smile that charmed millions of men and women. He has been a friend of Lacus, then Athrun and Cagalli. Now the smile was saying, 'I understand, it's okay.'

"Go take a breather, I can't have you thinking about a hundred and one things while I'm talking, it'll deflate my ego."

"Help me say sorry to your poor ego then, let me just excuse myself for a bit."

As she stood, she felt his hand upon hers. She looked at him, and he smiled again as he gave her hand a tight squeeze.

"We have to start making the right impression...for project R, I meant."

She made herself smile back, "Of course." And leaned forward at an angle, making sure the guard outside could see as she kissed Leonidas on the forehead.

When she was outside the room, she sat down heavily on a chair, suddenly it felt as her legs could no longer support her weight. She was paralysed with fear and worry, and apprehension about what is about to take place.

She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking, and it must have looked as if she was praying. And in fact she was, for the kids, for him. For her family who are in space and in danger. There was a dreadful weight in her heart that she cannot explain.

"Be safe." She cried to no one in particular, it rang in the air, like a note from a crystal bell. Like a final tear drop from heaven.

"I'll protect you too."

_She turned, and stretched out her hand towards him._

"...Athrun..."

_He took her hand. And she pulled him along behind her._

"_Come on you, lazy bum."_

He drew a deep, deep breath that caused his lungs to hurt.

"Athrun?" Someone beside him asked in a small frightful voice. The light was too bright for his unaccustomed eye to see, he squeezed his eye shut, trying to blink away the white spots and patches that had formed in his field of vision.

He coughed, and found his throat and chest washed over with pain, there was something thick and foul in his mouth.

It was hurting everywhere, his head felt as if someone had been pounding him with a sledgehammer, especially the region behind his left eye. Pain radiated from his chest area, spreading to his shoulders and abdomen. His limbs felt coldly sore and heavy. Bandages and his clothes stuck to him like a second skin, and it was terribly uncomfortable to lie there on the hot, damp mattress.

He willed himself to move, trying to get comfortable, but the more he tried, the more disappointed he became. For no matter how he willed his injured muscles to respond, nothing happened, and he felt infinitely helpless at that point. He was so frustrated, he screamed to himself.

_Com' on, MOVE, damn it!!_

At this, he managed to shift his head a little to the left and coughed breathlessly. To the people around him, he must look as if he was wriggling, for someone placed a hand on his and held on; tightly.

"Athrun…?"

A pregnant pause passed between the owner of the hand and the other occupants in the room. Then there was a series of incoherent voices, sounding like an excited chorus. And it caused his head to ache, there seem to a lot of people.

"I...ah…" He moaned, struggling to speak with his week-long unused vocal cords.

"…Are you alright?" he heard a bass voice asking tentatively, and it sounded familiar. It sounded like Dearka.

He did not feel alright. But to be awake and still alive was good enough for the moment.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

_Definitely Dearka._

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Dr Sas said.

_Another bad joke to add to the list. _

_"Chairman?" _

Belle.

"Big brother...Ath...run...?"

Maxilmillion.

"Athrun…?"

His eye snapped open, and his friend's face came into focus, there was a blackened patch on his right eye.

"Wa…happen…" Athrun asked weakly, as he attempted to lift his hand to touch Kira's face. Kira, who was right beside him, with the kids seated on his lap, shook his head, then stilled him with a look.

"You were convulsing then." Dr Sas explained.

Athrun thought.

"I…sorry…" And he looked around, realizing that he was in the middle of a crowd. It looked like a funeral, and felt like one too. And he wondered why.

Kira shook his head, and gave a small smile. "We don't hold people responsible for convulsions."

_It's really Kira…_

_Strangely, that revelation brought tears to his eyes. _

_He's alive...and that might mean...everyone else is..._

"Athrun..." Kira paused, and he held and squeezed Athrun hand.

"Don't...don't die."

If Athrun could, he would have laughed, but all he managed was a weak cough.

"I won't." He promised.

_Then darkness claimed him once again._

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Author's footnotes: Hi guys! Its been so long since I updated and you guys could see why it took me so very long, (this chapter was 13 pages on microsoft word!!) Gosh, wipes sweat, hope you guys enjoyed it, it's a transition chapter after the previous action pack one, so it's a little boring.

This semester is so super busy and I've been officially buried under homework, lab reports and endless tests, (I've had one every week since the semester started...!Talk about having nightmares!) But in Pharmacy, we've learnt some pretty interesting stuff too. For example, the scene where Dr Sas used an anti-epiletic drug, the thought was flashing through my mind, it goes 'It could have been Cambamazepine, Valproate or Phenytoin...hmm..." I was so tempted to type it in but I knew there was no point. Haha, call me weird, but I do enjoy learning about drugs!

Jyaa ne chapter next!

Ming


	16. Chapter 16: Love is not selfish

Chapter 16:Love is not selfish

"…You killed Athrun."

The accusation pierced through her defenses. And she knew that somewhere deep inside, she was bleeding from the wound that had been made.

"Why?" He questioned as he shook his head in disbelief, a crazed anger in his eyes; it felt as if at the next moment, he will just leap forward and slit her throat- and she'll stand still and let him do it.

Tears came involuntarily to her eyes, and she let out an incoherent sound of anguish. Giving voice to anger and guilt that previously possessed none. She realized that she had been utterly broken as well, and felt as dead as the man she had murdered; the man she had sworn to serve and obey.

Shinn glared at her, momentarily sadness mingled with the ferocity in his terrible crimson orbs.

"…Say something!!" He snarled at her with urgency, gritting his teeth. "Why…?" His voice came out as a mere whisper, a breath that was choked.

She was afraid, and her hands trembled. She clenched them into fists, feeling prespiration from her palm on her fingertips. She was the captain, he was her captive, but his confrontation scared her; even when she knew it should not.

Lunamaria shook her head in despair. She could not give an explanation; there was no explanation, no excuse. She had made her choice, and even if she had to bear the consequences, the sins would be hers alone. She had chosen to preserve the things that mattered most to her; her men, her army, her lover. She had chosen to draw these things close-under her wings of her protection- and destroyed the key which will bring the battle to a conclusion; a brief closure. In the heat of the moment some form of madness overtook her, and made her lift her hand against the man whom she had once loved and had always respected. The memory was still too fresh, too raw, and too painful. Recollection worked like a blade, and it tore her composure and shredded her will to remain unmoving. It was enough to leave her staggering under the weight of guilt and shame.

_She had indeed murdered Athrun._

His blood is on her hands. Those who had loved Athrun will hate her. Though hatred would be laid on her head like a crown of thorns, though it may cut her and make her bleed, it will not make her bow. She knew she did what she had to; and no one can fault her for that. She did what she could so that she can preserve the man she loved.

_Yet he does not seem to understand._

"Luna!"

"…I had to!!" She lashed out, angered by his tone, and her eyes chose this moment to openly fill with tears.

"I didn't have a choice!"

"But you had a choice!" He shouted back.

"…It was between him and everyone else!" Luna snarled. "What choice did I have?!"

Shinn was silent at that, he understood, of course he did. He was there. Yet he shook his head in disbelief, his eyes wide and looking at her as if she was some vile creature. It pained her more than words can describe. She wanted to scream at him to make the hurt stop, but it will probably only hurt more. It always does. Violence only brings more violence.

"And to think…" he paused, allowing Luna to hang on to the edge of her sanity. "…that I wanted to marry you...and spend the rest of our days together." He shook his head.

She literally felt her heart break. Because at that moment she knew, that in her desperate and clumsy attempt to preserve her lover's life, she had lost him instead. Instantaneous and thorough was the gouge that formed a division between her and the Shinn she knew. The Shinn she loved was distancing himself, severing the ties that had held them together even as she insistently and stubbornly held on to them. That Shinn who had told her he loved her and wanted and needed her.

"I don't know you anymore…" He whispered, his voice thick with self-mockery.

Still she did not make a sound as tears rolled down her face. It hurt more than all the previous hurts added together. The hurt in her chest intensified, she felt like she might die. She was crushed and wounded because he obviously does not trust her anymore. Yet her heart still loved. Her heart refused to listen to her even as she commands it to hate; to curse him and die. Her heart rejoices at the fact that he was still alive at all, and beats insistently, yearning for him to turn around and embrace her.

"…Neither do I." she whispered. He turned to look at her in disbelief as she repeated for him to hear, "…neither do I."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_At some point in time, he thought he heard Doctors Sas performing the last rites over him. _

_All this Athrun saw without eyes, he was drifting away, like an anchor torn from its moorings. The pain was gone, and he felt strangely detached from his body. When he looked down, he gasped, for he was gazing at himself; a pale, frail figure lying on the bed. Looking thinner and more woe-be-gone than the last time he looked into a mirror._

_There were people gathered around. It looked like a funeral, and it felt like one too. Athrun wanted to tell them not to worry, he felt fine. Just a little light-headed, but fine. He spoke, no one heeded his voice, he yelled, no one responded; like they didn't know he was there. And it frightened him as the revelation sank in._

"_They see not." A harsh, keening voice beside him, projecting into his mind, almost caused him to jump out of his skin; if he still had skin. The voice sounded scratchy, like running ones nails down a chalkboard, and caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. _

_There was truth in those words, but Athrun refused to acknowledge it; for to admit what he already knew seemed too terrible to bear... _

_It wasn't fair, he didn't want it to be like this._

_His surroundings dissolved as patches of darkness ate away the corners of his vision. He vaguely saw Dr Sas, who was indeed holding a bible and praying over Athrun._

_Then he too, faded away._

_Darkness, he could see darkness. And the Lord of shadows stood before him, darker than the most evil nights. A figure cloaked in black, stereotypical image of the grim reaper, an embodiment of finality and eternal rest. _

_Time- the final supremacy of the universe- stilled to a crawl, then stopped altogether. It became a rare, this is a place where nothing changes. No danger, no life. _

_The ancient being shifted with a rustling of its great cloak, which had a light and papery feel to it. And as he moved, the supposed cloth swirled and vanished like vapour, then reformed eerily from the surrounding air. _

_Nothing, he felt nothing. No hope, no despair, just…nothing._

"_They can't..." Athrun agreed uncertainly, realizing he did not say anything with his mouth, for he had none, just projected those thoughts from his mind, responding to the initial contact in the same way._

_The figure nodded, saying nothing. Waiting for Athrun to figure out the situation and is apparently amused. Athrun felt infinitely small at that moment… the creature was radiating such ancient confidence of omni-potency that he felt small, insignificant, powerless._

"_DO YOU DESIRE POWER?" This time the question was practically a shout in his mind, and Athrun cringed, feeling violated by the connection that clamped down his thoughts. He considered the question, being caught totally off-guard. It were as if the dark lord is a reader of minds too, he promptly decided he had nothing to lose._

"_Yes."_

"_It will cost."_

"_I have nothing."_

"_It won't cost you anything you don't have."_

"…"

"_DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?" The creature asked again, as if testing him. This time Athrun did not draw away, did not hesitate as he replied._

"_Yes."_

_The dark creature sighed in delight, it was a curiously wholesome and contented sound. It was satisfied, pleased even. It raised a withered had, and pointed directly at Athrun's chest. _

"…_Open the door you've shut."_

_Athrun shook his head in confusion, not understanding the way the dark creature spoke in riddles. It approached him, one step that felt more like a gliding specter._

_He took a step back involuntarily; feeling threatened, as if the hooded figure will just leap up to him and crush his soul as a punishment for not being able to understand. _

"_Darkness is your power." It paused, "Few are chosen, fewer choose…you." It lifted a wicked clawed hand once more and its tip touched Athrun's chest, pointing right at his heart. A wave of chill began to spread and pulsed into his being. The cold was ethereal and foreign, yet some part of him seemed to be calling out to it, drawing it in; attracted to it. The chill engulfed his shoulder and neck, and finally invaded his mind. _

"_A seed…awakening."_

_Athrun wanted to ask, but the numbing cold had paralyzed his lungs, and he could not reply. Could not scream as the chill saturated his being, compressed, then seemed to explode like a super nova. Fire lashed down his nervous pathway, trailing all the way to the end of his fingertips. It was queer, for he felt hot and cold at the same time. The creature seemed oblivious of Athrun's fear as it chuckled. _

"_Embrace it, wield it, fight. Darkness shall shed light upon your path…" _

_A weight started pulling at his ankles, and the ground he was on churned and thirst, opening its mouth to swallow him. But this time he was not afraid, as if the creature had given its word and Athrun instinctively trusted it. Athrun is going back._

"_Who are you!?" He managed to ask before the black viscous semi-fluid sealed his mouth and crept into his ears._

"I am…"

"Athrun."

He opened his eye and had a look around, and realized Kira was beside him at his blind spot, currently his left side. He got up slowly, feeling his head spin slightly for a moment.

"…Morning." He gave his friend a nod of thanks.

"You were sleep talking…" Kira informed him with a slight frown. "Nightmare?"

Athrun hesitated, he did not know if what he experienced two weeks ago was real. He did not know if he was dead and had come back to life. It certainly _felt_ that way, but that's the way with the things you feel. No one knows if they are real; not even yourself. The only problem is, he remembered and relived those moments over and over in his dreams.

A chill spread up his spine as he thought of the dark creature, the being that had apparently given him his life back. He shuddered.

_No one should have to remember dying._

His body was cold, and his palms were drenched with cold sweat; it did not happen often. A shiver ran through his body, and he clenched his fist, fighting the urge to panic. He told himself to breathe slowly and deeply.

"Athrun?"

He shook his head slightly, and gave his trademark nonchalant reply. "It was nothing."

Kira did not pursue the issue, but instead told Athrun, "The captains of the various crafts want to meet you."

"Fair enough."

"Some people are crying blood…be careful." Kira interjected, and Athrun recognized his friend's expression. He was worried.

"A meeting is fine…" Athrun replied carefully. "Did something happen?"

"There was a rumour that was spreading between PLANT and Earth…about you." Kira replied somewhat reluctantly. As if trying to believe the words as he spoke them himself. "That you're married."

Athrun's blood ran cold.

"To a Natural, a woman who is the leader of a neutral state. And I was told…she is apparently my sister…" Kira looked at Athrun carefully, as if testing out the truth of those words.

"The Princess of Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Tad Elthman looked around him, and smiled. It was something he hadn't done in a long, long time.

_The crown had returned_.

The craft was breathtakingly beautiful. Even when the craft is still, it looked gloriously hungry for flight; for freedom that can only come through near-light-speed travel.

The Corona encompasses the whole of Zaft's production history and is a one of a kind. It is designed by the best shipbuilders and worked on by only the most experienced of hands. The weapon concept of other spacecrafts cannot hold a candle to this Goddess. All thanks to Kira Yamato who wrote up a whole new program to rewire the ship, even in _stealth mode_. Its plating is made of the same material as the Blitz, hence while other flagships hide behind the main troops and remain visible, this one sits right in front of you and kills you silently. The only reason why such a ship exists despite its astronomical building costs is because Athrun commissioned it. Or rather, had a hand in the layout of the weaponry.

The Corona is special.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she…" Giovanni Lacey whispered in a low voice as he sat across the chessboard, and gazed intently at the Corona as one would a lover. He is in fact, marveling at the intricacy of his own design; his ultimatum, his masterpiece.

"The fairest of them all." Tad Elthman replied coldly, "It even came with a bonus…"

Giovanni Lacey quirked an eyebrow, "And what would that be?"

"Athrun Zala's head on a platter." He answered, giving a smile that embodied all his pleasure, and he moved his white king by one square, taking a pawn.

"Your daughter…" Tad Elthman paused.

"She said he was a load of fun…" the millionaire cut in quickly with a placating smile.

"He's dangerous." Tad cautioned cheerfully.

"How so?"

"Though it was never revealed, his commanding exam scores are the highest in Zaft military history, surpassed by none. Off the charts."

"Marks don't mean much."

"Those are not score-board marks. It's a series of psychometric tests. If you read the results you'll be surprised at how much of his popularity is not due to his looks or age. How do you think he survived with the Supreme Council breathing down his neck, how do you think he escaped the fate of a puppet chairman and managed to…_mutate_ our order?"

"Enlighten me."

"An army will fulfill his needs now."

"He has no fleet."

"And what makes you think he cannot get one? There are still those who are loyal to him."

"The obstacles in our path will be removed one by one." Giovanni replied as he raised a hand, unconvinced. "Kira Yamato." He said as he moved his black bishop.

Tad looked at the other man.

"Banished, probably dead. Even if he is alive, he'll be useless, crippled, crushed." And he gave the white bishop a casual flick that sent it toppling off the board, Tad Elthman felt his glumness lessen by a little.

"Shinn Asuka." Tad Elthman said in an undertone, moving his knight.

"Let Light kill him." Giovanni smiled, "He'd be delighted." The white knight took the black one. "And Spencer, that little boy, isn't he already in our pockets?"

"You're forgetting the queen." Tad Elthman reminded him.

"Isn't she here?" He indicated the Corona. Both men smiled at an inside joke.

"We have indeed separated the King from his queen. By telling the world they are together…" Tad Elthman continued with a smile, moving his white queen. "And..."

"Check."

Tad Elthman looked up.

"He's dead."

Tad Elthman's smile widened, "Checkmate."

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

_Yzak Jule was alone._

_He sat on the ground for a long time, doing nothing, saying nothing. He was just…there. He just existed. _

_Around him was fog, so dense and white that he could not possibly see more than a few meters. Not that it mattered, he was not about to venture into the gloom anytime soon. He just wanted to sit there, he just wanted to forget. He just wanted to be relieved of the pain, even for a brief moment. _

_Ignorance is bliss._

_He curled up, and remained where he was._

_Then she appeared._

_She approached him slowly, and stopped barely half a meter away. She smiled at him, he did not see it, but he knew. _

_And it was pure torment, for it felt as if the moment he reached out to her, she would vanish once again; the moment he tried to hold on to her, she would slip through his fingers like vapour; like air. He would lose her no matter how hard he tried. _

_So he didn't._

_Yzak._

_It was her voice, calling out his name in a soft and delightful manner; just like the tone she used when she had something she really wanted to say. And Yzak as reminded of the time when he went home only to find her crying inconsolably. Somehow halfway through sobbing and sniffling, she managed to tell him that he was going to be a father soon. _

_His heart swelled to the point of overflowing. And he lifted his face to prevent the tears from spilling out. _

_Yzak._

_She stood there, looking at him, doing nothing, saying nothing; she just…gazed at him._

_She was smiling._

_He felt like crying. But he did not dare to blink, for it felt as if the instant he does so, he will lose sight of her forever. He bit his lip, and continued gazing at his deceased wife. She was as beautiful as ever, her ebony black hair was long and lustrous, and it draped over her shoulders like a shawl of the best quality. Her skin was clear as crystal; her whole form seemed to be encased in a glow of soft ivory._

_His voice was caught in his throat as he tried to call her name. He just could not bring it to his lips, it felt too choked and bitter._

_Hesitantly, he stretched out a hand to her; strangely, it was trembling. His lips parted, but no sound came forth. His vocal cords blatantly refused to bring up the memory of her person, as if it would poison his very soul._

_Sedna._

_She did not stir, but looked at his hand as if she did not comprehend. Then she took a step back. _

_Yzak's heart skipped a beat, and his very first instinct was to jump up and catch her before she could leave. But he was desperately afraid, it felt as if the moment he does, she would disappear. _

_So he waited, he chose to buy his time. _

_He chose to wait for her. _

_She took one step forward, not merely to take his hand; but to embrace him and squeezed him hard. _

_He realized he was crying, and squeezed her back. _

mmmm

When they were alone, it was quiet. And the only sounds she can hear are the sounds of her own heart fluttering delightfully like a caged bird; and his ragged and soft breathing. Her fingers roamed gently over his cheek, trailing over the smooth and warm skin with loving tenderness.

Shiho gazed longingly at his face, taking in every detail; every line, every contour and every spot. Every flaw is utmost perfection in her eyes.

"Wake up…" She whispered softly into his ear, though she secretly wished for quite the opposite. While Yzak was awake, he belonged to the citizens of PLANTs, he belonged to his mother and wife and unborn child. He belonged to all his subordinates and comrades. But while he was asleep, he belonged to her and her alone. His every breath, every little movement, his every heartbeat was hers to behold and adore.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly on his. The slightest contact felt strangely thrilling, yet oddly empty. She kissed him, but he did not kiss back, he never did; not that she had expected him to.

He stirred beneath her touch, winching, Shiho gasped in shock and pulled away hurriedly; realizing her mistake. She had lingered too long. But he did not open his eyes, he merely lifted a hand weakly.

Shiho gazed at the hand, it was calling out to her, whispering for her to take it.

_Hold on to me._

She took a step backward. Hesitating. He looked like he was dreaming, or rather, having a nightmare, there was an unmistakable anguish on his face; a sadness in his actions. And his hand reached insistently out to her in a manner so small and fearful; it was almost unbearable to watch. It was painful to see the once proud shoulders fall from their positions. And at that instant the invincible became a vulnerable mortal in front of her very eyes. Every moment she spent lingering close to him was pure torment, because she could not allow herself to touch him.

He cried out a name hoarsely, she could not hear it, but her heart skipped a beat.

_Could it be hers?_

She dared to hope.

She hugged him. Tight.

For a moment he did not respond, and she braced herself for heartache.

Then he hugged her back, his arms enclosing themselves around her person and pressing her urgently towards him. He embraced her as if he was afraid she would vanish.

Tears of joy came to her eyes and her heart fluttered, and she bit her lip to blink back her tears as she reassured him quickly, "…I won't leave you."

He nodded weakly, and whispered a name into her ear.

Her blood ran cold.

"Sedna…"

Then he opened his eyes, and stared at her in obvious surprise; his hands quickly pulled her away. There was no anger in his eyes, only confusion and disappointment.

"What…?"

"I...You were…so I…" She interjected before he could finish, and she was saddened to see reproach and disappointment written all over his face. It tore her heart out to see his expression.

"What happened…?"

She did not reply, she could not.

A pregnant pause passed between them, and understanding seemed to dawn on his face. Shiho looked down into her lap.

He did not speak, but he turned away and got off the bed. Silently, he searched for his clothes and got dressed.

Shiho looked up as he pulled his uniform over the dressings on his shoulder; over the wounds that he had sustained from the last battle. Her heart gave a skip with every little twitch he made as the fabric was dragged over the injuries.

Though her heart was hurting. She got up, and went to him. Gently, she took hold of his shirt.

"Let me." She said shortly, and he did not reply as he obediently let go. His left arm was broken.

She pulled on the white shirt with tender loving care, aiming to hurt him as little as possible. Then proceeded to button up the front. Next she helped him pull on the heavy, cobalt-blue overcoat, and at last tied up the scarf around his neck. She took her time, wanting the moment to last as long as possible. She was standing close to him, close enough to take in his scent, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin.

And while she was helping him dress, she felt wanted; and close. She could imagine that this would be what Sedna used to do- and can no longer do.

"This feels nice."

He asked with his eyes.

"This." She said as she indicated the scarf in her hands.

He did not respond.

"I love you." She blurted out, deciding that there is not stopping now. She _wanted_ him to know her secret.

"I loved you from the first time I met you…and I know you know it." She said bitterly, smiling a mirthless smile. For some reason, there were tears rolling down her face.

Those are the words that she always wanted to tell him, but had kept buried; locked away in the labyrinth of her heart. Because he looked so happy when he was with that woman.

For one who hardly ever smiles, he smiled for her and her alone. For one so awkward at expressing himself, he showered his affections upon her in his gifts and embraces. For someone who finds it easier to hate than to love, he found his love in her.

Shiho could only watch, and imagined how wonderful life would be, if the one who was being loved was her. Jealousy arose, and each time threatened to consume her sanity and drive her over the edge of despair. But the thought of him smiling would seize her back from the brink of insanity. All that matters was that he was happy. All that matters is him.

Yet throughout the whole time she wept, never once did Yzak touch her, console her, nor even speak a word. Her tears dripped onto the scarf, but his hands did not come near her, nor offer comfort. Just as it was when he was with Sedna. Just as it was when he was still out of her reach…

"I don't deserve it." He said simply as she stood in front of him, her fingers agilely looping the scarf over. Her heart froze over, but waited for him to continue.

"I…" He swallowed, and closed his eyes, the expression on his face was one so filled with anguish that it wrenched painfully at Shiho's heart. She had to turn away. And at that moment, she knew all that she wanted was for his pain to disappear. She wanted him to be happy. Her hands roamed from the finished scarf, and landed on his collarbone.

As he sighed, his chest stirred; and at the moment, he sounded like a hundred-year-old man.

"I can't… …I can't even protect her." He said finally, he was trembling slightly beneath her touch. His voice sounded choked and hollow; so unlike his usual confident and commanding tone.

His fiercely blue eyes, for the first time since Shiho knew him; looked terribly sad.

"I can't even protect one woman." He said, as if he was mocking himself, and his eyes scrunched up at this point, as if keeping his tears from falling. She had never seen him like that, she had never thought she would. At that moment, he was no longer the lean, mean military man she knew.

He was a husband who had lost his wife.

She shook her head slightly, and she ran her fingers through his luxuriant, smooth, silver hair. It was slightly damp, but the strands parted easily and felt like threads of silk. He did not draw away from her touch. She fished a white ribbon out of her pocket, and used it to tie up his hair; just like the way his wife did. His warm breaths washed over her collarbone. She took one of his hands in her, then wrapped the other around his shoulders, which were trembling ever so slightly.

"Can't I be the one?" She said. "Can't I be that woman?"

He shook his head, she felt his chin touch the top of her head.

"You deserve better, you deserve someone…Someone whom you love and will love you in return."

Shiho thought about it, then words left her lips almost on their own accord. "You…don't understand." She whispered, his silence demanded an answer. She drew apart a little, wanting to look at his face.

"To love you was my choice."

The expression on his face was unreadable.

"My choice, my stubborn insistence, my idiocy." She smiled a mirthless smile, "Sedna…Mrs Jule, she is a lucky woman, because…" She gazed into his eyes. "She's the only one in the world …who could call you her own."

She reached to cup his face.

And unwittingly, she smiled.

She tiptoed and kissed his cheek. He hesitated, as if weighing her words, then turned away in a small and tired manner. It was a gentle action, but to her it felt like utter rejection; it felt as if he slapped her.

"What?" She asked, it was her turn to be irritated. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't understand."

"Understand what?!" She exclaimed, "Understand that I should have given up long ago because she's the one you've chosen?!" She cupped his face and roughly made him look at her in the eye. She wanted to hurt him, she wanted him to feel the way she did.

"What do you mean?"

He met her challenge in an infuriatingly calm manner.

"No…Shiho, listen to me."

She waited. Surprisingly, he laid a warm hand on her shoulder, like a father comforting a child. His voice dropped to a whispered tone, a voice that people use when they intended to say something so sacred and so immensely precious; that she will never be allowed to fully comprehend or know it.

"Love is not selfish."

Oooooo

Athrun stopped outside the room, and he wondered if it were just his imagination. There seemed to be wrath leaking out of the crevices on the door, it caused the fine hairs on his back to stand on end. He knew that once the truth was out, he's as good as a dead man.

He was not being pessimistic, merely realistic.

_How many of PLANTs citizen can marry a Natural and get away with it? _

And he just happens to be PLANT's Chairman.

Naturals are generally despised, or at least never well-received by the coordinator community even till now. Furthermore, those who had any form of connection with them are equally doomed.

_Someone who knew must have sold the information for a handsome reward, but who? Who could have known and who could not be trusted? _

His brow furrowed, it pained him to imagine who could have betrayed him. It was almost unbearable to think that someone close to him- a confidant- would want him dead and gone within the next two hours.

He lifted a hand to the touch panel on the door gingerly, and he realized in horror that his hands was trembling ever so slightly. His mouth had gone dry. His palm was coated with cold sweat and he felt suffocated in his white Chairman uniform. Perspiration ran down his temple.

He gave a shaky sigh.

Then he realized truly how afraid he was. And he wondered who was the over-confident, arrogant, pessimistic idiot who had sternly warned Kira, Saspuri and all his bodyguards just ten minutes ago.

_Don't come with me. _

It is a self-destructive, half-pitying equivalent of, "Just let me die."

He felt like a trapped mouse. It is inevitable that he'll have to meet up with the army generals and officially explain himself. But the truth was, he had no decent explanation for his actions.

_I love her and we got married, period._

Athrun's lips curled a little at the sheer irony of it. There was no remorse in those thoughts, okay, maybe a little remorse, but not sufficient. He had been selfish and stubborn about getting married to Cagalli, but he did not feel as if he had done anything wrong. His decision made perfect sense to himself, but it gravitates probably more towards 'maniacal' and 'suicidal' to the rest of the Coordinator population.

His heart felt like lead. Once the truth is out, all that they have accomplished for the past seven years would have been in vain. Worst, it might lead to civil war, it might destroy both nations.

He shook his head inwardly, wondering why is it always easy to destroy but so hard to build up? Why are people so quick to condemn and hate, and agonizingly slow to accept, to love, to forgive?

All those people who had lost a beloved to the war, did it give them more reason and right to hate? What will it take to make them see that violence and hatred are not their friends-but their enemies? It is the entity that had forcibly taken their loved one away in the first place.

Athrun finally understood when he realized hatred had killed his mother, and hatred caused his father to die an unfulfilled man.

It made him attempt to kill Kira.

Of all people, Kira. Unimagniable-now that he understood. Of course that did not make him a saint overnight, there was no way a cold-blooded murderer like him could hope to qualify for sainthood. It just made him able to let go, and move on.

At times he despised himself, for hatred and violence remained an intrinsic part of him- all of it was drummed into his skull by the years in military-that violence is needed to solve certain problems. His hands remained blood-stained even after he has laid down his weapon.  
Cagalli set him free, and in turn, he will liberate others. Shinn is the best example, his involvement with Orb made him a sort of a celebrity in the Orb army. He too, is spreading the gospel of moving on.

But now…even that has become undone.

Athrun could probably jump out of the airlock without a spacesuit and not live to see his people kill each other, but then Cagalli would have to clean up the mess.

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, telling himself that all the responsibility should be borne by him alone.

He _would not allow harm to come to the ones he loves. He will not allow violence and hatred-both of which he utterly despised- to destroy them._

A small, soft pair of hands enclosed around his larger one, he blinked in surprise.

The child stood to his left; currently still his blind spot. And was fingering the bandages higher up his arm as if finding the texture rather interesting. Then the boy looked around, as if checking if there was anyone else around them, then he cupped a hand on one side of his mouth, and gestured for Athrun to lean closer.

Athrun was curious, and he did.

"…Daddy." The boy whispered into his ear.

Athrun felt his heart contract. He is not a person who sheds tears easily, but for some reason he could not fathom, his eyes felt hot at the moment.

It is a very dangerous word to say.

_But it is the word the Athrun has been wanting to hear; though he had never realized it. _

It was the first time he was ever addressed as such, and the moment became etched in eternity.

However, his mixed feelings must have shown on his face, for other than that there was no response. After an awkward pause that lasted almost a minute, there was still no response from Athrun. He just stood there, transfixed, resisting the urge to embrace the boy openly; fighting a terrible yearning to kiss the boy, it was almost painful. But Athrun resisited, for it felt as if…the boy will break in his arms; be tainted by his touch, will be disgusted by the blood on his hands…

Max frowned slightly, then his eyes became teary as he looked down on the floor as if realizing he had done something terribly wrong.

"Max…" Athrun finally reacted, but Maximillion was quicker, he released Athrun's hand as he backed off a few steps.

"I was warned not to call you that…" He did not dare look at Athrun now. "Don't be angry…I won't do it again."

Athrun felt his heart break, as he realized that the boy was _afraid_ of him. _Afraid of being rejected. Afraid that his affections will not be reciprocated_.

Maximillion wiped roughly at his face, not wanting Athrun to see the tears that had spilled from his round, sad eyes. "I'll go away now…" He defended himself needlessly, his voice thick. As if trying to quickly excuse himself before his father gives the word to send him off.

He turned to run off.

"…Max!" Athrun called out desperately, catching the little boy with his words. That next word was soft and felt strangely unfamiliar even as it rolled off his tongue.

"…Son…"

The boy froze, and turned back slowly, a twinkling of hope in his eyes, he looked at Athrun, as if begging him to repeat himself. And Athrun found that he could not quite do it, he felt too tongue-tied.

"Max…" He struggled to express the turmoil of feelings in his heart, wondering what good will it do the little boy if he understood just a tiny portion of his pain; a little of his struggles.

He breathed.

Then he decided, he could not do it, he could not imprint the mark of pain onto the little one.

The boy was innocent in all this.

Maximillion looked at him expectantly, an idolizing in his emerald green eyes, and Athrun felt flattered in a strange way. He wondered if he had looked at Patrick Zala in the same way when he was six.

"Don't run…you'll trip." He finished rather lamely.

Silence hung in the air, and a small, uncertain smile touched Max's face along with a lifted eyebrow, and he looked like Cagalli in her more cynical moments. It was genuinely funny, then Maximillion nodded and hopped off, no doubt to find Marlene and goad her about it.

_Strange, one kid talks too much, and the other one doesn't_.

Athrun turned, and entered the meeting room.

Ooo

Cagalli sat there impassively as chaos ensued in the parliament meeting room, she was still listening, but nothing that she hears seemed to matter. Nothing changes till something is done, she had been planning for the last six years. The difficult part is ensuring the execution is smooth.

She stood up, and silence fell upon the occupants in the room. Her emirs looked at her, and she looked back, meeting every one of their eyes.

She turned to her secretary, and told her the thing she wanted to be done.

"Announce the engagement."

Ooo

End, please R &R. This chappie is a little long and there are a thousand and one things happening, so I'll highlight a few key points here.

Out of body experiences do exist because I'm writing from experience.

Will Yzak accept Shiho's love?

Where is Lacus? (She was in PLANTs and found out about the fake Kira, later she aided Athrun in escaping the Zaft vessel. Now MIA.)

What happen to Nicol now that Kira is with Athrun and not seemingly intending to want to kill him?

Who is Cagalli engaged to and why did she accept the engagement?

Will Athrun's eye be able to see? Btw the dark creature of his dreams is a character.

Finally, I uploaded a seven-step illustration of Athrun, if interested to have a look, please go to and look for username 'mingathur'. The name of the piece is called 'Fading lights'

Sorry I took so long to upload, it is becoming quite hard to write.

Read and review please!

Jyaa ne!

Ming


	17. Chapter 17: Betrayal

Chapter 17: Betrayal

"_Chairman Zala." One person he had known for a long time spoke through gritted teeth, Murasaki Amamiya, Japanese; otherwise just known as Violet san among the councilors as her native name was way too long for the non-Japanese speakers to pronounce. She was the only other female member of the Supreme council apart from Ezaria Jule. _

_She was a formidable looking 38-year-old with stylish, short black hair combed back from her face, her Asian features elegant and deadly beautiful. She gazed intently at Athrun's face; her expression positively livid, yet still gorgeous. She was known for her level headedness in all situations, and had never taken sides with or against Athrun. In a way, she was the prima donna of the Supreme Council. To remain untouched by the political situation takes certain strength and experience that Athrun did not have. _

_Yzak sat to his right, with an expressionless face, his arm in a sling. _

_Silence._

_It was deafening, the deadpan silence that prevailed in that room. He felt as if he was effectively being smothered. All they did look at each other, the people in the room; the purple section, the white ones, and two Prussian blues. They just stared at him in silence as if he had suddenly sprouted an extra arm or leg. Their scrutiny was intend and thorough, and Athrun had the distinct feeling that the treacherous thoughts in his mind were being read. The lies he had prepared in the last five minutes dissipated almost instantly and he knew there was no way he could bluff his way out of this level of hostility. _

_The atmosphere was just as he predicted when he stood outside feeling apprehensive. The looks he got ranged from indifference to dirty, which he understood to be bad news. He knew that if somehow the meeting boils down to a brawl and he gets killed, no one is going to come to his aid; and they will probably swear that he had brought a knife and killed himself. _

_He had to do something to make them see things his way…or at least kill him quickly. However. He was also genuinely curious about why they were staring at him._

"_Dear Supreme Councilors, Generals and Captains. It is good to see you all." He began slowly, licking his lips which had suddenly gone dry. "Why are you guys… looking at me?"_

"_Your face…sir." Violet answered flatly, still not taking her eyes off him. It made Athrun quite self-conscious, and one of his hands reached involuntarily to gingerly touch his cheek, checking if there were grains of rice there. There should not be, firstly because he was never a messy eater, and secondly because he had not had anything in the morning in case the butterflies in his stomach decide to chase his breakfast out._

"_What happened, Sir? Who did this?" one of the white uniforms whispered, it caused a commotion among the group, as someone had given voice to their main query. Athrun still did not quite understand what they were so agitated about. _

"_Particularly your eye, sir." Violet whispered, as if it was something so terrible he began to feel guilty. He shifted uncomfortably, he had been ready for a confrontation, not a discussion about the injuries on his face. _

"_Can you still see?"_

"_I don't know." Athrun replied slowly, his hand lingered on the bandages over his left eye. _

"_Dr Sas says that you can probably remove it within these two days." Captain Jocose reported, evidently for the whole room to hear. Athrun had to make a decision quickly, things turned out quite unexpectedly, not that he was about to complain. At least he was not shot within the first ten minutes. _

_Then it occurred to him, the people in this room are not those who are confused, not those who needed a direction. When they saw him, they just wanted a reason to hate Naturals. They wanted reassurance that Janurius was not the doing of Coordinators- namely, Councilor Elthman- that caused civil war and strife, but the Naturals. They wanted to be deceived, to be deluded, in essence - they wanted him to lie. _

_It did not matter if Athrun was permanently scarred or blinded; the importance was in the fact whether Naturals or Coordinators were the culprits behind the insults. Athrun could see now, the name 'Cagalli Yula Athha' left unused, but at the brink of tumbling out of their mouths. If he admitted it to be Naturals- which it was- the blame would be laid on him if he was married to one. On top of that, he was the Chairman who killed 20,000 of his own people. _

_He had to lie, but he could not. Too many people know too much. _

"_Chairman Zala, if you please." Urged Captain Mark. Athrun swallowed, and his pride prevented him from looking to Yzak for help. His friend just stared ahead impassively, as if the whole discussion is none of his business. As if knowing a confrontation is unavoidable, and telling Athrun to give up and hurry it up. _

_Athrun felt his heart sink._

_Decisively, he reached for the clasp that held the layers of linen in place, and unfastened it, slowly but surely, the strips came off in layers continuously, sliding down his face onto his shoulders. _

_He felt the pressure and weight being lifted off the wound, and he closed his eyes, finding comfort in the darkness he could not see; savouring what might possibly be his very last breath. He could hear his heart beating frantically like a caged bird, as if trying to escape the prison that held it, whose owner had decided to hand himself over to death. With his hand, he leisurely pulled off the remaining strip that clung to his forehead. And gathered the long strip into his lap into a loose bundle dabbled with dried blood. _

_It was strange, how acute his senses had become the moments before dying. He could hear his own raspy breaths that whistled past his ears in a panicky kind of rhythm, the incessant ticking of someone's watch, the stillness in the room when every occupant held their breaths. He could smell the perfume of Violet, a strong, rose-like fragrance with soft musk, and himself, who had carried the distinct scent of antiseptic lotion for a while. Yzak, who was wearing a citrus cologne so ill-befitting for someone so perpetually cheerless. He could feel the heat radiating off Captain Jocose, who is closest behind him, all muscle and sinew under the white, stuffy captain's uniform. _

_How used he had become, to a heart that beats, skin that feels, senses that taste- now that he was about to lose it all. _

_He took a deep breath, and cracked open an eye, then the other. Half expecting to feel the sting of a bullet pierce him through any moment now. _

_Light flooded through his unaccustomed sense of sight, and he squeezed his eyes shut as a sharp pain invaded his head. A hand touched his shoulder, one small and warm and fluttering like a tiny bird, he guessed it was likely to be Violet's. _

"_Slowly." She said, as if she knew that it hurt badly. He obeyed, gathering enough courage to try again, he wanted to at least see his attacker before he died. He inched open his eyes, bit by bit, light sharpened, then diffracted into a thousand chromes, blurred and blended themselves to be transformed into recognizable forms. Four images formed two, then drifted together to unite into a uniform picture. For the first time in a while, he could tell the dimensions of the room, and how far apart it was between him and Yzak. _

"_Can you see?" Violet questioned now, her neutrality in all situations partially dissolved. Her arrogant brows for once, revealed a trace of worry. _

_He nodded, gazing into her eyes, then into Yzak's, then everyone in front of him. He wondered what he looked like in their eyes. He wondered if his wound looked disturbing or half-healed. _

_Suddenly he heard the distinct sound of a magazine being snapped into a gun, followed almost immediately by a blur of movement around him and he was shoved backwards and pressed into his chair. Yzak, Mark, Violet and others have formed a human barrier around him, and through the sliver of space between their bodies and weapons he could see two white uniforms pointing their guns at him. The others have all risen from their chairs and some had taken refuge behind them, there was a lot of shouting, the din almost incoherent to his ears. _

"…_Don't you idiots realize?! He has betrayed our people!!" One of the gunmen shouted, the pistol in his hand quake violently. _

"_It's just a rumour!" _

"_He's guilty all right, you can see it in his eyes!" The other yelled. "A rumour known for all 7 years!" _

"_The Athha princess as a consort!! You fricking Naturals lover!" _

"_You killed everyone!!"_

"_The Chairman killed no one!!" Captain Jocose snarled, he sounded like a beast. The shouting continued, through his restricted view, he could see more weapons flashing out of people's belts, jacket and even socks. The room segregated into the pro-Athrun, kill-Athrun and the innocent on-fence dwellers. Tension rose, and aggression swelled like a tidal wave, threatening to kill them all. All it took was for one person to fire, and everyone in the room will be devoured by chaos. _

_Athrun wanted to shout for them to stop this nonsense, but realize he was denied the power to do so. He was pressed backwards by many pair of hands, hands that had pledged to defend him, he struggled to make himself heard over the din. But his protests of, 'Stop it!' became small and feeble in the face of so many, forming a cruel chorus that cried for blood. It ascended into a crescendo, and in desperation Athrun pulled Captain Mark's hand and pleaded with him not to shoot anyone. _

_Then the announcement came._

"_Hey, Yzak you've got to see this!!!"_

"_What?!" Yzak looked up into the screen, "Dearka, not now!"_

"_JUST WATCH!!" _

_The screen changed, Athrun heart skipped a beat as her face appeared on the screen in live newscast from Federation News. Even more unbelievable were the words that proceeded from her mouth, words that he will never forget. Her words will haunt him in nightmares for months to come. _

"_We have been going out for a few years now, And…" Cagalli gave a smile that broke Athrun's heart. "Leonidas has proposed to me."_

Athrun wanted to believe that what he heard was not true.

Ooo

"You are really a selfish, shameless slut. You know that?" Linda Lacey's voice came over the speakers, boastful and beautiful. Meyrin sighed, talking to this woman always made her very tired.

"I did what is necessary."

"Don't make yourself sound so noble." She laughed, a shrill little sound. "You're doing all this as a necessity to yourself, not to the project."

Meyrin did not reply.

"You want him for yourself, don't you." Linda questioned with a sneer, distorting her beautiful features. "But Athrun Zala evaded you time and again. In fact, if he found out, he will avoid you forever."

"He will not know."

"Know what?" She mocked, "That you've never really gotten over him, or that you have betrayed him?"

"Linda. Stop it."

"I'll not stop." She replied, and brushed her comment off in disdain, "You are a disgrace to us reporters and you know it. Your actions stem from your desire for the affections of a married man, not professionalism. You love him."

"Look who is talking."

She gave a haughty laugh. "Finally, you admit it."

"At least I'm outright about it." Meyrin snapped at last, "You and your stupid cronies dare hurt him!"

"It's the cronies who did it, not me. I…will never leave a cut on his face." She said defensively, her smile wavered, "I made sure that croon suffered sufficiently before he died anyway."

"I don't know why we are having this conversation." Meyrin spat in disgust.

"I do. I want to know what dirty tricks you'll play next."

Meyrin gave a pained laugh, "As if I'll tell you."

"You've already successfully betrayed him twice, you caused his wife to declare herself in love with another man, god knows what you're capable of next. Kill the children, maybe?"

"I'm not you."

"Don't play saint, it does not suit you. Hell knows no fury like a woman scorned…"

Ooo

Cagalli gazed at the stars on the balcony, wondering if he was safe. The reports from the last battle between Zaft and the so-called heretics came, and told her he is probably dead; painlessly and peacefully murdered by Zaft's flagship. But some part of her was certain he was not, and that part of her refused to pay attention to facts, it just believed.

_Athrun is still alive._

Surely, she would have known if something happened to the other half of her soul. She would know if he was indeed gone.

Her gaze fell from the dark sky, and landed on her hands, which were wearing a pair of long, dark satin gloves.

She sighed. Her breath got swiftly carried away by a chilly draft.

"Representative."

She straightened in surprise, and turned.

Kisaka was standing there in his military uniform, and giving her a light frown; causing the creases and lines that had been etched onto his face to become more apparent. Her heart wrenched for a moment, every one of those lines were telling of the years that had passed. Of how her youth has blossomed into a flower; and how his had begun withering. He had devoted his life, his prime; the tithe of his life to Orb. This is a man who stood by his nation through thick and thin, and for him to appear like this was unnerving. Right before her, he aged, he became vulnerable.

"This is not wise." Kisaka said, tight-lipped. The strength of the wind rose and fell, whistling past her ears. Howling the cry that Kisaka would not give voice to. Cagalli had a distinct feeling that there was something he was about to say, but kept holding back due to some unfathomable reason. There were virtually no secrets between her and her deputy, her homeguard; _her friend_.

"It's just dinner." She replied as she turned to look at the darkened horizon, trying to avoid the subject.

"It's not just dinner." He retorted, impatience creeping into his tone. "It's about your life."

She was silent at that, as usual, he was spot-on.

"I know what I'm doing. This is for Orb" She replied eventually, quietly, though it hurt to do so; to speak in this manner to her friend.

"This is what is needed now, in order to appease those who think I am a… let me quote the magazine over there, 'A Coordinator-loving bitch.'. I'll not allow all the progress made up to this point to be negated, Orb doesn't need that." She paused to catch her breath, "It needs this!"

Kisaka looked at her in a maddening manner, as if he understood something she did not. It was the way a father will gaze at a child; with pride and sadness all mingled and distinct at the same time.

"What can you accomplish by 'this'?"

His emphasis on the last word made her irritated and relieved at the same time, she realized that she had wanted someone she could talk to.

"Zaft is no longer under Athrun's command. And even in Orb they have begun hunting and killing haflings, I know that they are a minority but many of them are still children. If I unite with Leonidas Fitzbane now, Orb and EAF can legitimately join forces against PLANTs; against the nation that is carrying out massacre of the haflings in their borders and beyond. Tad Elthman is now declaring that he wants to destroy the heretics in space and sought vengeance for the deceased members of the Supreme Council and citizens of Aprilius. I simply can't allow that kind of deception when Kira and Athrun were both tortured. And if all goes well…we should have enough forces to overthrow the temporary regimen and restore power to the Chairman."

"But Cagalli, marrying Mr Fitzbane is not a temporary alliance."

"I don't plan to marry him." She whispered.

"Then why are you doing this? What are you doing here?" He asked incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief.

"We have an agreement." Cagalli replied, more quietly than before. "He was to play the part of my fiancé, and I, his."

"Why will he do that?"

"His situation is…unique, he's in love with a Coordinator, a member of the supreme council." She replied slowly.

The wind howled, picking up speed as it fled towards the northwest.

"…All you're trying to do is to protect him, aren't you." He said after a long, pregnant pause.

"Who? Fitzbane?"

"Athrun."

Her heart skipped a beat, a crease of worry formed between her brows. "What makes you say that?" She asked quietly. The wind rose in protest, echoing the whispers of her heart, it wormed beneath her clothing and chilled her to the bone.

"You're pledged… to each other." Kisaka said in a low voice which almost did not reach Cagalli's ears.

Her eyes widened, and she did some very quick thinking, "You believe those rumors too?" She questioned incredulously, attempting to lie. "Kisaka, I'm disappointed…"

"Seven years ago," He began tiredly, "Kira and Lacus Yamato's ceremony, an underground sanctuary." She gasped softly, it was only out of a sense of self-preservation that she did not stand up and scream. He went on relentlessly in a low, flat voice, "Akatsuki, with Mana, a short dress with boots."

"There was a knock on the door, but she did not hear it. She stared at him in silence, a terrible realization dawning on her.

_Kisaka knew what he was talking about._

He had deliberately phrased it such that it appeared as if they were discussing about fashion, that even if the layman heard it. It does not sound like what it genuinely means.

"You were spying on me." She managed to whisper in disbelief, yet a trace of relief on her face betrayed what she really felt.

_She no longer had to lie to him; to this faithful man who had served her without questioning. This pillar whom she could rely on._  
"I'm always spying on you," He said with a wry, mirthless smile, "I saw, I was happy for the two of you."

"Who else knows?" She asked, recovering her composure,

"Hathaway, and a handful of retired guards. And…Councilor Amarfi."

"Who else?" She pressed.

"No one, I made sure."

Another knock, louder and more impatient than the first.

"Let's continue this discussion another time." She said quickly in a low voice.

"You can't run forever." He whispered quietly.

"I'm not running, I'm facing my decisions." She replied, and added in a much more quiet tone. "Besides…walls have ears.", she cast a gaze around the room, Kisaka understood immediately.

He nodded in consent, and departed quickly quite unnoticeably.

Cagalli took time to straighten her hair and dress, and stood to her former position. _A queen_, she reminded herself, the female sovereign of a nation.

"Come in."

Leonidas Fitzbane strode into the cozy dining room in a graceful manner, as a swan would slide into the pond. For a moment Cagalli was irritated, maybe because of the conversation between her and Kisaka, and maybe she just needed someone to take it out on; or just because he treated the place like his own. Of course it was, but Cagalli had the distinct feeling that a predator had just came in, and she was his prey. It felt as if he had invaded into her territory and intend to take a bite out of her. It was just an instinct, but something she had not experienced before.

But she shook the feeling off telling herself it was nothing but an illusion, a stray thought. He was her benefactor. And she was grateful.

"My Princess." He greeted as he took her outstretched hand, not to shake it, but to lay a kiss on its back.

"Leonidas, don't call me that." She replied with a weary smile. "Thank you…very, very much."

"Why?"

"You've done me a great service."

"It is my honour to have you for dinner."

"Still, you have my thanks."

"My dear." He shook his head in a casual manner as he took her hand and led her along, they walked towards the table, where a small candle is lighted. "Right now I don't need your thanks, I just need you to be hungry. My cook got a little too enthusiastic when I said I will be having dinner with one of Orb's most beautiful woman, he said he'll cook up a storm."

She laughed, somewhat nervously.

Ooo

He looked darkly back at the man who gazed back at him from the mirror. That face was definitely familiar, yet strangely foreign. Logically speaking, he should look the same; he still has two eyes, two ears, one nose and one mouth and in the same proportions as it was two months ago. The difference is an addition of a scar; just another to join the rest on his body, and it should not bother him.

_The one that did… was the one in his heart. _

In front of everyone, he maintained a brave front. Stilling the pain by suppressing it; such that it eventually became numbness. He answered worrying looks with indifference and nonchalance. He had said and repeated to anyone who asked that he has more important things to worry about then caring who Cagalli Yula Athha is getting married to.

In his own silly, stupid, self-destructive ways he was declaring to the world that he was okay, and as if in telling that over and over to the people around him it would become reality…

_The broadcast did not take place; and Cagalli did not smile and said she was probably getting married to another man…! _

His fist slammed full-force into the mirror.

_WHY?!_

The hairline cracks crawled from beneath his bloody knuckles outwards, meandering in a maddeningly lazy fashion till it formed a spider web-like pattern. Droplets of his blood trickled and interlaced through those crevices, mingling with the glass bits.

It was painful, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart- this is the first time he could understand what it feels like to have one's heart taken, played with, squeezed and shattered. She had betrayed him, thoroughly and shamelessly. Though some part of Athrun still wanted to believe, he wanted to be told that she had done all this because she cared.

_He clung on to that last strand of thought as he would a lifeline because he wanted to know that he was the one Cagalli truly loves. _

That thought was the one that had kept him motivated, even when things get tough at PLANTs. Even when his life was constantly under threat by both the Supreme Council and terrorists group, he persevered. He knew that by hanging on and doing his part he could somehow make 'them' work, he knew he had the power to do so if he continued. So he persevered. He was the cosmic mistake that did not deserve anything then, a disgraced soldier who was to stand for trial at military court- and maybe he still is. But he was given the chance to make the difference, and he took it because it was the only way 'them' could exist.

It is true.

The bond that tied the two of them was not a legal one- it can never be. It was a pledge- though now proving to be an empty one- but nevertheless, a vow, an oath, a dedication.

_A covenant._

He loved her, thoroughly and genuinely.

_And he thought…… she loved him back._

All he wanted to do now was something rash and impulsive, like going to earth to strangle that man bare-handed, or grab Cagalli and shake her silly. And he knew impulse and anger was taking over and he found lesser and lesser reason not to do it. It would be such a relief; so easy to just let the murderer in him go loose and punish those causing him distress.

He felt something in him snap.

He stomped out of the bathroom, murder in his eyes.

_Finally._ The demon in him yipped with glee.

_Shut up._ Was his retort.

He did not even know what he intended to do, but one thing is for sure. Someone is going to die.

"Athrun…Athrun?!" Kira questioned as Athrun stalked past him, bless Kira, he could tell something was wrong even though he had lost his memory. Kira stiffened and remained quiet when Athrun glared at him. Athrun was almost guilty, almost. But he ignored his friend and walked out of the room.

At the door, the most unexpected thing happened.

It was not his fault because he could not have seen the little boy clad in pajamas standing with his nose close enough to touch the door.

"OW o wow o wow!"

"Max?!" Athrun exclaimed as he knelt down to examine the back of the boy's head, which had produced a sound knock on the floor only moments ago. "I'm…so sorry." Athrun muttered as he eased the boy's palms off to touch the site. There was no blood, no wound, maybe a small bump. Marlene was beside them in matching pajamas, and was frowning at Athrun; now he was really guilty.

_And momentarily he forgot everything else._

Max did his best to fight back tears, he made small whimpering sounds at first, then somehow he ended up crying loudly.

"Does it hurt?" Athrun asked, checking Max's person to ensure he did not hurt other parts of him. Max nodded, still sobbing.

Kira came, and said, "I'll go find Dr Sars" before Athrun could stop him.

Inwardly Athrun sighed, Kira is still the worrywart despite losing his memory.

"It's okay." Athrun coaxed as he gently wiped the tears from those soft, chubby cheeks. "It's stop hurting soon, let's get you cleaned up before Dr Sars come and decide to put stitches on your head."

Max gasped in alarm as he hugged his head, and yelled halfway through crying, "Va dai dun won stitches!"

"Then don't give him reason to think you need them. Hush, you're a big boy now." He said as he picked Max's up and pretended he was struggling just for emphasis, "Ah, you're so heavy. I can't lift you."

Finally, it provoked a laugh. Athrun then swiftly slung Max over his shoulder and turned to reenter the room. "Now, to feed him to the lions!"

He felt a tugging at the back of his leg as Max laughed and said that the lions will never eat him. He turned to see Marlene looking up at him with an odd look in her eyes, and after a moment of contemplation, Athrun realized it was jealousy.

So he bent down and scooped Marlene up as well, she practically leapt into him and annealed to his uniform.

Ooo

He dropped them both down onto the bed, Marlene finally letting go after him promising he will not walk off fast enough to run down anyone.

"Why are the two of you sticking around outside the door?" He questioned as he rubbed local analgesic onto Max's head. Marlene frowned, and looked at Max.

"We were wondering if mummy is going to get married again."

Athrun felt his blood pressure rise, but he told himself he will not blow up on the two children. He tried to hide the anger in his tone when he questioned flatly, "What do you kids think?" It was a tone that told normal adults 'the conversation is over.', but he forgot, he was not speaking to adults.

"No."

He frowned, "Hmm?"

"No." Max replied, Marlene nodded in agreement. "We think she will not marry again."

"Why not?" Athrun asked, in spite of himself even though he knew this conversation will probably go nowhere. He was also rubbing Max's head a little harder than necessary, and did not realize till Maximillion cupped both hands over his to stop him.

"Oh my god, your hand!!" Max gave a priceless expression, and lowered Athrun's hand to the pillows. Suddenly he was once again aware of the pain. "Are you a super hero in disguise?"

"No." Athrun gave Max a weird look; he did not understand why he was asked that. Marlene laughed merrily, Max translated, "You're like Wolverine!"

"Why?"

"Even when you have a scar, you recover quickly!" Max said, "And you like to hit things with your fist!"

Athrun only sighed as he thought of the implications of actually being Wolverine, and it was always close but no banana. If he did not remember wrongly, Wolverine's love life never came to fruition, _the women he loves always dies_. And if anything, he was closer to being the Hulk at the moment, at least that fellow was green…

As he fumed privately, Marlene took his hand, and began first aid. He was thoroughly amazed that Marlene seemed to know what she was doing, she washed, disinfected and wrapped up his hand in less then ten minutes.

"You're incredible." He said finally when he examined the dressings, she probably did it better than he would have (and he would likely wrap it up in a haphazard fashion). And he began to wonder if his little girl is some kind of prodigy.

"Marlene says you have rings." Max said, Athrun looked at him darkly, his patience thinning. He gave a small, shallow, almost reluctant nod of acknowledgement.

"Gimme."

For a moment Athrun considered throwing the rings-pendant and all-across the room, hard; but the moment passed and he obediently slipped the necklace from within his collar and placed it in Max's tiny palm.

Max and Marlene leaned in to see, and he saw a sparkle in Marlene's eyes and knew that she always had a liking for pretty things.

Max took both their wedding rings and raised them to eye level-which is to about Athrun chest.

"They are a pair."

Athrun's heart leapt, he comprehended, but he did not believe, so he frowned.

"You and Cagalli are also a pair." Max continued cheerfully, "A team. You know her and she knows you. All your secrets…" He added in a low and deliberate voice, baiting Athrun. Athrun was curious and gazed at his children suspiciously as Max returned the trinkets.

"What did she tell you?"

Max looked at Marlene and she nodded, then he mouthed '1,2,3…'

And with that they unceremoniously pounced on Athrun like lion cubs, who was quite unprepared and resultantly shoved backwards onto the pillows. Marlene aimed for his stomach and Max went for his neck, and little fingers set to work to tickle up a storm.

Athrun had never been tickled by anyone else but Cagalli and is obviously inexperienced, but he was surprised that they knew…

"Who told you?" Athrun managed to gasp while trying to stop himself from laughing. Max replied with glee, "Mummy!" Then redoubled his efforts.

He tried to stop them, but apparently they both got their cat-fighting gene from their mother, they were fast and relentlessly, and good at ducking his ill-aimed palms as they climbed all over him. And he could only laugh some more and try to evade them, but they got the better of him.

So he did the only thing he could, he tickled back.

And it proved to be effective, soon the trio was reduced to a bunch of laughing, kicking, trashing kids. Pillows flew and bed sheets got tangled and intertwined with limb and clothing, but eventually Athrun secured the edge with his longer reach and physical strength.

When he had the chance, he grabbed both of each child's small hands with just one of his. And he twined their arms around themselves and brought them close to his chest in a sharp pirouette, like ballerinas; and held them there; finally having a chance to catch his breath.

"I won." He declared triumphantly as Max struggled and twisted with all his might, kicking Athrun's leg repeatedly as he protested, his voice muffled by Athrun's uniform, "No, no, no! Lemme go!" Athrun shifted the boy higher; away from the wound on his thigh, all the while, he shouted wildly, "Lemme go! Lemme go!"

Marlene had stopped writhing and decided to just laugh at her brother. Max gave his sister a glare, but she only laughed harder. He shouted at her then, "I didn't lose!"

"You sure?" Athrun asked innocently, he released Marlene, and with his now free hand, poked the boy's tummy, it provoked a short, startled giggle. Athrun goaded him jokily while increasing frequency, "Say that's you've lost. Come'on."

"No!" The boy replied adamantly, he looked like he was enjoying the game as he gazed at Athrun, as if daring him to do his worst.

"No?" Athrun asked, "You sure?" and he aimed for the boy's waist and neck.

"No no no no no!" The boy actually managed to say a string of 'no's while laughing, impressive.

"Fine." He replied, "You won." And he turned to his daughter and drew her to himself again. "And you too."

And indeed they have. Athrun was smiling, though thin and bitter, it was a smile.

_Max and Marlene are proof that his wife loved him._

He hugged them tighter.

_No one can take them away._

"Big brother?"

He shook his head, though he himself did not know what it meant. His heart still felt as if it was bleeding; and he realized he was in a state where he could hardly keep the tears from his eyes. There was no point denying the pain, nor was there reason to acknowledge it; there was nothing he could do; except to curl up and draw the gifts Cagalli had given to him closer to himself…

Marlene hugged him back, burrowing comfortably into his embrace.

"I'm tired." Max declared with a yawn, "Say…"

"Hmm?"

"Can we huddle with you tonight?" Max asked with a hopeful grin, Marlene nodded enthusiastically. "Like a real family. We've never done it before."

It was a bittersweet moment, _a family_…

"The bed is not that big, aren't you guys scared that I'll squish you?" He asked.

Marlene laughed, Max replied. "You're not really Wolverine, right?"

"Right." Athrun said with a small smile, conceding defeat, "I'm the Hulk."

ooo

"Leonidas." Cagalli hissed, trying to hide her irritation, the man giggled uncharacteristically. And Cagalli rolled her eyes as she shifted to better provide balance as she clutched his arm and slung it across her shoulders. And walked down the deserted corridors to his room.

"You've had too much of a drink." She reproached in mild amusement.

"I can still…" He hiccupped, a smile on his reddened face. "Tell more stories…."

The two of them chatted well at first, then started playing a game, each took turns to tell a story and let the other party guess whether it was fact or fiction. A wrong guess leads to a goblet of wine, and apparently Cagalli was darn good at telling tall tales as she only drank one glass of wine since, while he had six or seven. Now she decided enough is enough as she dragged the man off to his room, and resolved never to allow him to drink while she was present…

Ooo

Someone peeked through the slit on the door into the dark bedroom, a sliver of light fell on the three people sleeping. Two children and one adult, their deep and regular breathing sounds told him that they were sound asleep. Athrun's face reveal a trace of anguish, as if he was having a bad dream, and he slept like a log, allowing his two kids to curl towards him, the little girl in a fetal position, and the boy, a starfish.

_Unsuspecting victims are the best. He had to be quick._

He clicked the silencer into position and pulled back the safety catch on the pistol as he threw open the door…

ooo

Cagalli pushed open the intricately carved door with one hand and entered, it was dark inside. She -sort of- dumped the EAF leader on the couch at the far corner of the room.

"Argh…." The man looked like he was about to puke, it was a graceless moment and Cagalli rebuked herself for letting things come to this state. She should have seen that not every man could hold his liquor, and Leonidas Fitzbane was apparently one of those. Now all attempts of plotting the deception would have to wait. There was no use strategizing with a near-incoherent EAF leader.

"Lie down, I'll get the caretaker." Cagalli assured as she touched his shoulder gently, then turned to depart. With great surprise, she felt a hand enclose around her wrist in a vice-like grip.

She turned back, Leonidas Fitzbane was looking at her with a most peculiar expression on his face. It was a look of renewed recognition, and it was a little proud; almost arrogant way of appraising her person. Cagalli felt her cheeks colour.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered huskily, the grogginess suddenly gone from his speech and actions.

"Why, thank you." She replied good-humouredly, "Please let go now, I have to go get your caretaker…" She attempted to draw her wrist out of his grip, but he held on, and squeezed. She winced, and pulled harder, "Leonidas…? It hurts." Her heart quickened it's pace, something felt wrong; there was danger she could not place a finger to.

"You're not going anywhere." He said with a finality that made her afraid. With seemingly all his might, she was pulled forward as she saw the door close out of the corner of her eye; plunging the room into total darkness.

Leonidas Fitzbane rolled over her and pinned her arms and legs down, holding both her wrists within one of his hands over her head. Her eyes became accustomed, and she could see and smell the alcohol in his breath as he leaned close heavily over her. She was alarmed as he pressed insistently toward her, and she stiffened when she felt his arousal on her thigh.

"Leonidas? Let go of me! What…what are you doing??" She snapped as she trashed, still hoping he had mistaken her as his lover, or that it was all a big nightmare.

An ugly, cocky smile formed on his face. "So beautiful." And his other hand reached to stroke her face, then rubbed casually down her neck and collar bone and stopped to cup her breast; playing with it.

"Let go!!" Cagalli yelled now, fighting to keep herself from panicking. She shouted for help.

"You can scream all you want." He said levelly, as if delighted by her response, his smile widened. "But no one is coming." And with that his hand groped and clamped the softest part of her body. She cried out in pain, and bit her lip.

"What do you want?" she demanded in distraught, trying to keep up her façade of bravado as she trashed harder. She was shocked and frightened, no one had ever caught her so unaware and vulnerable before.

"I want you." He said as he kissed her nose, a perverted pleasure on his handsome face. "You're so naïve…Believing all that crap about me being in love with some goddamn Coordinator."

_The statement sent a chill up her spine_.

He smiled again, and as if deciding he had been holding himself back for long enough, the next action was fast and rough as he seized her mouth with his own.

"Noooo!!" Cagalli screamed when she manage to break away.

ooo

Athrun's eyes flew open, his body soaked in cold sweat. Not a moment too soon he realized he was staring into the black hole of a gun, and in the next instant, someone fired.

Ooooooooooooo

Sorry for the very-long-no-update period, I can't say sorry enough…This semester has been taxing and very busy, but mark my words, I'll finish this story as long there are people who still wants to read it!!

This chapter wasn't easy to write as this is second turning point in the story.

Please read and review!

By the way I've posted a illustration of Cagalli and Athrun on Deviantart. My username is 'Mingathur' and the title of the picture is 'Desire'. Feel free to comment as well.

Yours,

Ming


	18. Chapter 18:Our love

Chapter 18: Our love

"_**We women……would always make sacrifices for the ones we love, even if they don't know or understand it…." ~ Lacus Clyne**_

Disclaimer: Not mine, please sue not. This is the chapter that makes the story a little more dark and mature. If one is not comfortable reading this sort of content, please skip the first part till you find the next, next, next 'ooo'

Ooo

Cagalli was afraid of men.

When she was 11, she ran away from home simply because she did not want Yuna Roma Serian doing to her whatever it was that adults do to each other when they have nothing else better to do. And at that time she knew he was raping the maids he fancied.

She used to think that it was a violent and barbaric thing, her negative concept of it was fortified especially since the time she caught Yuna and a woman having a tryst in her own bedroom…

The only warnings presented to her were sounds that were utterly distasteful and likened to shame in her ears; coming from within her room. Only when she pushed opened the door and saw the unthinkable that she first witnessed the hideous-looking act of attempting procreation. The servant was obviously dismissed as she could not help remembering the horror upon seeing her. As for Yuna, there was nothing she could do.

And she swore herself off men, or rather…guys in general.

Her encounter with men who wanted to bed, wed or do both to her were never pleasant. Most were bratty royalties who never knew the world beyond the four walls of their manors or palaces, hence were simply too empty-headed or naïve to carry out an intelligent conversation with. The meeting was often accompanied by gruesomely wet kisses and extreme boredom. Cagalli could never find anything to talk about with them apart from gossip and trivial. With the hot-blooded princes and young dukes, it was always about cars, money, sex, more cars and more money. With the more 'new-aged, sensitive' ones, it was about skincare and fashion. Most can't keep her attention for more than 2 straight hours, after that it was a test of how long she can resist from throwing her shoe at them to shut them up.

_Then, Athrun was there for her. _

Through her first two years back in Orb, Athrun had been the one exception. He was her confidant, and was one of the few she found to be decent company. He had qualities that were admirable and made him distinct even among the other bodyguards.

If anyone, Athrun Zala was like a prince, his fine upbringing taught him not to speak unnecessarily and his quiet dignity left those around him feeling as if Alex Dino was more than he let on. There were political leaders then who requested private audiences with the 17-year-old, seemingly lowly bodyguard, and apparently whatever he said convinced them enough to shape their actions. And these people, Cagalli knew she could trust, because they judged others not by who they appear to be, but by the depth of their character. They were not as pig-headed as some of the royal families who chose not act on the truth when it lay right before their eyes.

_Probably more than decent, Athrun was the most enjoyable company she could have ever gotten. _

At the end of the day, they would huddle in the office with a kebab or two, and she would ridicule the little boys who dared call themselves men. Athrun would listen quietly, and occasionally make little squawks of protest if she praised a prince -which she rarely did, and Cagalli would laugh at him, and he would tease her back. He hardly speaks, and when he does, it was usually something constructive, something that Cagalli has not thought of. He was a reassuring presence, a refuge; an ivory tower. If she got bullied or irritated or grieved, his embrace will be waiting and his arms were her pillow. He did not even seem to mind that his shirt usually became her handkerchief, and there were days when his shirt was so constantly tear-stained that he had to change it two or three times a day.

But she never quite thought of him as a man. He was her good friend, an assurance. But she thought there was no way Athrun would love her as anything more than that even if he says so...

Not that he wasn't manly, she just felt as if she did not deserve him.

Athrun Zala was the epitome of manliness if there was such a thing. He was brave and strong, with lightning fast reflexes. He was intelligent and sophisticated and sensitive to boot. Gentlemanliness seemed an inborn attribute and his mannerisms were refined and flawless. Athrun was someone who could blend right in with politicians on any day. He was-of course-handsome, with eyes that could suck the soul right of females; young and old. And a smile that he so rarely smiles, but make him look all the more beautiful.

_He is perfect._

What Cagalli did not realize then was…he belonged to her.

_Until one uncomfortably close call with the assassin. _

He simply wrapped about her and shielded her with his own body when there was no other choice and the bullet was already zipping toward her.

_Dread filled her at that moment. _

He had promised to defend her with his life because he loved her, but she never thought the day will materialize when he will perish saving her...and in that instant she felt the terrible jolt as the bullet gored into Athrun's flesh, she realized that she hoped it never will…

_The bullet hit him in the chest just shy of his heart... _

And when he came to in a hospital, a few days after being shot, Cagalli had been reduced to a tired, teary mess and could only stutter in relief when he opened his eyes and gazed at her. Athrun was terribly weakened by heavy blood losses and bouts of sedatives, and having difficulty breathing. Yet still, he found strength enough to take her hand and whispered comforting words that caused her heart to break. She knew she'll remember those words for life.

"_It's okay. Don't cry…"_

_A sound of distraught escaped her lips, riddled with choked tears. "It isn't okay! You're not okay…"_

_He merely smiled lightly at her, she cried harder._

His gentleness and sacrifice left its mark on her that day, and from that day on…

_She belonged to him. _

When he drifted off into a fitful sleep a few moments later, she was holding on to his cold hands and sobbing quietly, guilt and pain eating away at her heart_. Then, her eyes were opened, and she understood. _

Athrun loved her as a _woman_, he never regarded her as a friend or crybaby, _he loves her_. Cagalli spent that whole night just gazing at him. And for the first time, regarded him as a man…

_How strong and warm those marble arms were when they enfolded her, how graceful the arch of his back, how beautiful and shapely the muscles on the length of his legs. She marveled at why she had never noticed or appreciated Athrun's beauty as a young man before. Must she only awaken to her senses when he slept wounded and vulnerable before her, his person laid out for her eyes to behold? _

They got married when they were 19, and that night was when he gave himself to her. It was a gift because it was nothing like what she witnessed on that faithful night in her childhood, though the first time could hardly be described as smooth.

She had been utterly awkward and frightened, and scared that she might displease him. But he led her on patiently, step by step, coaxing her to let go off her defenses- and her clothes- and be brought into the realm of pleasures unknown. His words were laced with tender, sweet venom as he whispered in her ears, he had stroked away her insecurities and kissed away her fears, his urgencies passionate yet still oddly gentle. Though he was a little naughtier and brattier than usual, he allowed her to take her time, coaching her in the art of lovemaking, and she found herself warming to him gradually, giving in his wiles and doing things that she used to think was madness. She began to predict how his body moves and encircles; how she yearned for his touch and his all. How his skin was hot and smooth and raw. And she moved in tandem with him; with this beauteous male creature whom she could call her own. That night, two became one.

_That night, Cagalli Yula Athha became a woman. _

Ooo

At that moment, Athrun felt as if he was possessed by an unknown force, for he moved at a speed that resembled a blur to the human eye with power and precision even unknown to himself. He lunged forward like a cat, moving straight towards the gun barrel in order to shield Max and Marlene.

Then suddenly, he dropped his stance, the bullet tore through his shoulder, but he grabbed the pistol and twisted it such that he broke the owner's fingers and wrist. There was a cry of agony and Athrun claimed the weapon, he cuffed the man hard to knock him off balance then continued his retaliation. Mercilessly, he locked his arm around the person's neck and tightened.

_There was marked difference between killing someone with a gun versus in hand-to-hand combat. _

_It was feeling death happen in the instant… _

Athrun tightened his hold such that he felt the man's spine detach from his skull, and it snapped the man's neck instantly; it was a peaceful death; one that the assassin did not deserve.

There was a sound, and he wheeled around, ready to kill the next intruder. Then he realized it was only Marlene. She had woken up, and hugged the still-asleep Max to herself as she screamed.

"Quiet." Athrun hissed, in a voice so harsh that he himself could not recognize it, Marlene gasped, and sobbed soundlessly...

He went outside the door, gun in hand, searching for more assassins. But all he found was Belle slumped in a heap beside the door. She had been knocked out by something hard and heavy and was bleeding from the back of her head. He had to get help.

"Marlene. Come. We find Dr Sas"

The little girl came running out of the room as he slung Belle over his uninjured shoulder. He held out a hand, it was a little scratched and bloodied, but Marlene took it gingerly. And together, father and child walked out of the scene.

Ooo

The windy night had become a stormy one. The windows creaked and rattled as a gale swept against them, the door slammed shut suddenly, as if slapped by a giant hand. Cagalli could see only darkness, and feel hands groping her chest. She screamed for help as the man started stripping her. He tore her gown carelessly and tossed shreds of it into the air. His mouth seized hers again, the touch was foreign and violating. And this time she mustered enough sense to bite his tongue. He drew away in shock and pain, but a look of sadistic pleasure crossed his fine features, and he continued the assault. Alarmingly, she was starting to feel a little drowsy, strength began to drain from her limbs quite rapidly and she blinked profusely, trying to fight back even though she knew she might lose consciousness.

"Bastard!" She yelled through a film of hot tears. "What did you do to me?!"

"He stopped long enough, and looked at her with wild lust in his eyes as he bent close and whispered into her ear seductively, "I added a little concoction into your glass of wine, I think you'll like it."

"Despicable!!" She snapped as he renewed his frantic assaults to her neck and groin, she scratched his face and tried to push him away. But he was behaving like a beast. He pinned her down and tore her dress, seemingly oblivious of the bleeding scratches on his jaw. His actions seemed dictated by the primal mating instincts rather than romance and love-making. And at that moment, he was no longer a man, he was just male. His hands were rough and cruel, and left her skin reddened and rubbed-raw. She was instantly reminded of Yuna Roma Serian.

"Let go! You filthy animal!"

He laughed a victor's laugh, it was a feral and maniacal sound. "So I'm an animal now? What exactly is your idea of a good foreplay?" And without waiting for an answered he suggested, "What about a story?"

"Damn you…!" she snapped, and panted, shaking herself to prevent her brain from fogging up.

"I take that you like it." He replied, unperturbed, "Let me tell a story about the conqueror and the conquered."

Cagalli did not reply as she tried to somehow calm herself, hoping that she will find herself an opportunity to escape when he was preoccupied and more relaxed when telling the epic tale.

"Seven years ago, after the battle at the Requiem. Orb won…… but PLANTs lost…we lost."

"What?"

"We…as in the Naturals." He clarified, the expression on his handsome face made Cagalli shudder despite his obvious intents. "Orb won. Orb grew, your unpopularity during the war period dissipating with a new leader and a new hand in ruling the country. Orb did not deserve to, like the Chinese parable, Orb was like the despicable farmer who hid himself while a bird tried to eat the oyster, and when both were on the brink of exhaustion…" He slowed, and allowed his voice to slip lower, "The farmer took them home and slaughtered both for dinner…"

Cagalli turned away from his terrible face, and focused on looking around for any sign that there were servants around. She silently prayed to Haumae, desperate for someone, anyone to help her. She was trapped under the weight of the EAF leader, her handphone was still sitting idly in the dining room and no one who knew her in ten mile's radius. She had also sworn her guards to secrecy and had trusted Leonidas enough to come alone; it was hopeless.

"When Orb came into the picture, you began pouring poison into the world; you and your precious late Chairman Zala." He spat, as if it was bitter to utter Athrun's surname.

"Chairman Zala's not dead." She snarled in defiance, attempting to stem the flow of tears from her eyes.

"Oh, so you say." He replied with the slightest hint of a smile. "I received data from the battle in space. He exchanged himself for a mere five minute with the Zaft troops. Get it right, he didn't die fighting. He was a coward, he surrendered himself!"

"Shut up!!" Cagalli shouted as she wriggled her hands out of her satin gloves which were in his grip and sent her elbow slamming into his temple, half wishing she was strong enough to kill him. She jumped up after pushing him out of the way, and the rest of her destroyed dress pooled heavily around her ankles. She leapt out of it uncaringly, screaming for help all the while and ran towards the window; it had a higher chance of being unlocked compared to the door, though they were on the third story. If she managed to get out, the trees outside would be sufficient to cushion her fall.

The distance was short but it seemed to take her forever to sprint across the vast chambers. When her hands finally caught the handle, she cursed as she rattled them.

_It was locked._

Someone roughly grabbed a chunk of her hair from behind and forced her to face him, the ugly smile did not leave his face.

"Nothing like a little fun on the hunt." He snarled as he slammed her temple against the wall, she almost blacked out, but was denied of even that mercy as she collapsed against him, her knees weak from the blow. Together they slipped onto the ground, him with his terrible arms encircling her.

"No!! Don't touch me...!." She moaned as tears gathered in her eyes, but she bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Patience…my little canary, he said as he stroked her face, rubbing his fingers over the blue blacks that were probably forming on her forehead. "You're the one who requested a story to compliment this joyous occasion."

She could not reply for a moment, when she could. "Go to hell, Fitzbane…" she rasped, half out of fear and half out of defiance. He gripped her hair harder.

"You can't deny me my prize!" His grip threatened to tear the scalp off her skull, then he softened and acted as if he had never hit her. And men who abuse women physically are pigs. "Now…Let me finish the wonderful story, then we can go to bed…"

Cagalli glared at him.

"Athrun Zala poisoned the minds of the generations with his hypocritical ideals and made a show of it. He proposed peace between Naturals and Coordinators, marketing his campaign with his own life story. That he had been a victim of the Bloody Valentine and had chosen to forgive; he thinks that Coordinators had as much heart as any natural…and the countries lapped it all, they worshipped him like a god…and you…a goddess." He paused, and allowed his eyes to linger over her full breasts, lusts flaring in his gaze. His trembling hands reached hungrily behind her, and began undoing the clasps of her brassiere. She backed herself into the wall, squashing his hands behind the force of her movement.

"Don't touch me, you scumbag…!" She cried as she renewed her efforts to shove him away, but there was no longer strength in her limbs.

"But you're mine now." He replied, his hands stroking the side of her body, stripping the lingerie off her breasts. "Just as Orb is."

Cagalli gave a sound of shock and distraught as her chest were bare, and curled in on herself to somehow make herself feel less vulnerable; less naked. Tears were flowing freely now, she never cried so hard in her life, but she couldn't control herself anymore. She had not remembered being so afraid for a long time, not even when had she stared down the black barrel of a loaded gun. This is different, she only knew she did not want the man to touch any part of her. His touch was vile and demanding like a slave driver, his touch was killing her; bit by bit...

"That idiot thinks that Coordinators have a heart…" Leonidas said wistfully, "What a joke…I used to think that too."

"_And what made you stop thinking that?"_ Cagalli thought tiredly, her thoughts were sluggish as her tongue felt clumsy in her mouth. The poison in her system is kicking in, and she almost begged for it to hurry. It seemed infinitely more blissful to go into oblivion than to feel him violating her...

"Odd…You were there too when my father died."

"What are you talking about…?"Cagalli shook her head, trying to clear the fogging.

He looked into her eyes, hesitating for a moment.

"My father killed Patrick Zala."

Cagalli knew she was supposed to feel shock, surprise, anything. She remembered … _seeing the body of the unnamed officer who shot Athrun's father float across her, the officer who single-handedly caused a coup and literally saved earth, not wait, Athrun did that... All she felt… was numbness._

"One more thing about conqueror and the conquered. History is written by the victors, history does not tell of my father's noble deed, they labeled him a maniac, a defect. He was a Coordinator, he married my mother…a Natural…"

"Then you…" Cagalli realized with a start, "You're a…!"

"Halfling…Not that the old fogeys at the federation knows…." He finished huskily for her, pain in his voice. He had removed his shirt, and was taking off his pants hurriedly. "That's right. I'm one of those things that violated the laws of nature. I…want to write history the non-Zala way. I want to make him pay for what his father had done. My father was killed, and disgraced because of that man's mistakes. And my inheritances stripped and forcibly removed by the orders of the Supreme Council. Depressed, my mother took her own life."

"Aw…pitiful baby." Cagalli said sarcastically, though somewhere deep down, there was a little empathy in her heart, she just did not want to show it. Though she hated to admit it to herself, she had to acknowledge that in many ways…this man was like Athrun.

There were chilling similarities between their traits, background and the decisions they made. Both were charismatic, and believed in their own justice. Both started off wanting revenge and did not mind giving up their lives to get it. That part about Athrun always made Cagalli sad; that he seemed to value everything else above his own life, the way that he never thought of himself deserving of happiness.

_The time he bit the bullet for her, the time at Jachin Due… the time where he hugged his baby and shed tears…_

More accurately, Leonidas was like the 15-year old Athrun who joined Zaft. Since, Athrun had moved on; rising like a phoenix out of his brokenness and created a seven year reign that was traumatic but glorious.

He slapped her indignantly when he caught her staring, "You have not right to judge me! Then…there were only monsters in that control room. No one attended to my father when he displayed chivalry, he was mortally wounded…and all those bastards…they fled, they ran for their lives!! Coordinators have no heart, no loyalty. And that day…Zala was the winner. He escaped unscathed from the encounter, he went happily to Orb with you. And you…" He paused, breathing hastily as his hands hooked the sides of her panties, and pulled down. Cagalli let out a sound of distraught, curling her legs towards herself and tried to prevent him from peeling her like a banana.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world... I've desired to possess you…ever since I first saw you arriving at the PLANTs two years after the battle of Jachin Due."

Cagalli wanted to laugh, and wondered how anyone's perception can be so warped. She was 18 years old then, still scrawny, boy-like, wearing pants which Athrun had called 'unwomanly', hardly beautiful by any man's standards. _Only Athrun saw and loved and would sacrifice himself to save her; that insecure young woman beneath her brave façade._

"And Athrun Zala was there behind you…acting as if he owed you…"

_He's my bodyguard, you dimwit. It's his job to make sure no one else can touch me without his permission...!_

"But you're mine now…" The way he looked at her sent shivers up her spine, and with that he swiftly inserted his fingers between her thighs. She seized up and could not help trembling in discomfort and pain, but he bounded her and pressed her down with his legs and arm. "And I can reassure you that you'll be both surprised and satisfied with my skills in bed."

_I don't care if you have bedded a thousand women before, any man can do that, you may as well be a dog! You're not comparable with my husband! Athrun would have been gentler, Athrun wouldn't touch me if I didn't want him to! _

"Ah, pity…I was hoping for you to be intact for all your fame as one of those rare, keep-it-clean political leaders, a chaste…untouchable goddess." He whispered as his fingers explored her, then added another finger, feeling her, stretching her in a humiliating manner. He was trembling in excitement and barely concealed anticipation, and at long last he removed those fingers, and swiftly put them to his lips; savouring her with a wild cry of pleasure.

"So, this is all about winning?!" She cried brokenly, "Winning Athrun??"

"Yes…" He replied leisurely, his arousal almost at its climax as he parted her thighs. She wriggled and screamed, frustrated by her inability to put distance between herself and the monster, putting up her final struggles. He body would respond no more obediently to her pleas. And at the height of her panic she entered a trance-like state, and she snapped her eyes shut, refusing to allow herself to see the violation even if she could not help _feeling_ it. She felt her trembling body still and her breathing deepened and slowed.

_Just pretend that he is Athrun…if it will make it more bearable… _

She opened her eyes, her sight was marred by tears, and she did not attempt to see more clearly.

_Athrun loves me…_

"It is." He answered.

And with a stab, he entered her.

_You'll never win…_

Ooo

Lunamaria did not want to wake up.

_She did not want to think anymore._

She just laid there in her bed, covered by the comforters. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying and insomnia. She hid because she thought that if the world cannot see her, her problems will not be able to find her.

_It was just so stupid. Damn it, damn it all._

Despite all she had done, all the sacrifices and excuses she made, Shinn was forcibly taken from her, from the Corona. And worst, she could remember the way he looked at her when the military police came to arrest him once her ship docked.

_Shinn narrowed his crimson orbs, and cast a look of scorn and disgust over his shoulder that pierced her to the soul. He seemed relieved to be rid of her, even if it were heading to the dungeons…_

Lunamaria bit her lips, she felt like dying. It was not supposed to be like that, she should at least be able to preserve Shinn. Once he landed up in Councilor Elthman's hands, who knows what will be done to him. Shinn had evidently sided with Athrun during the rebellion, and the council-which is now in Tad Elthman's pocket- is unlikely to deal lightly with him. Shinn understood when he was placed under arrest, but still, he chose to hand himself over…rather than stay with her for another moment under her protection.

_It hurt_.

She wished earnestly that Meyrin was with her, and she could hold on her little sister and cry her heart out. Meyrin would not say anything, she'll just hug Luna back and hold on to her till her grief was spent, until she was too exhausted to cry. But now, her dad was gone, her mother had withdrawn to her room and refused to budge. Sometimes, the widow would cuddle a pillow and cry her deceased husband's name over and over again. Others, dress a bolster with her husband's best work clothes, kiss 'him', and send 'him' out the door as if he was going to his office…It was heart-wrenching to watch this once-cheerful and optimistic woman fall into despair…

_Luna curled tighter about herself, and longed to disappear._

_She was not strong enough for it._

She thought she will be able to hold the pieces of her life together, her father dead, her sister lost in space, her mother on the brink of insanity, and her; with her own two hands had killed someone she loved and respected and adored.

_But at least someone was there to hold on to him when he lost everything…_

Tears came involuntarily to her eyes, and a sob escaped her lips. She hated herself, hated her heart for aching so much that she wanted to dig it out with her bare hands and toss it from her sight; it was anything to be relieved from the pain, even for just a moment. She begged silently for release…She yearned for hands to comfort her, for a voice to tell her everything was going to be alright, for an embrace that allowed her to fall into and behave like a child.

_Save me…_

A harsh cry came from the depths of her throat as she pulled the blanket over herself.

_Please… _

"Lunamaria."

_That voice, that sweet, innocent voice…_

She gasped and quickly lifted the blanket off her head. And true enough, standing not a meter from her; was the pink songstress.

"…La…Lacus Clyne." She stammered.

Lacus grinned whimsically. "So many years of being friends and you never got out of the habit of calling me by my surname…"

"Oh…sorry. But…you're legend." Luna sat up shakily, not sure what to make of the situation. Lacus Clyne had been reportedly missing, and shortly after which, Councilor Amarfi, who was her host in PLANTs, was arrested for 'attempting treason'. "Why are you in a Zaft uniform? Why are you here?"

Lacus made a grimace. "Why else?" And she made to sit down beside Luna, who scooted over to make some room.

"Luna, I have something important to tell you…" Lacus whispered, "But first."

Luna could not speak as the other woman wrapped about her, enshrouding her in an embrace.

A small, soft sigh, "…Cry, it's alright……"

Tears flowed down her cheeks, she thought she had cried till she could cry no more, but her tears proved her wrong. And she curled towards Lacus. It felt safe, it felt like a refuge, and sobbed. Lacus, being as gentle as she was, simply allowed Luna to anneal to her…she simply _was there_.

"…We women……would always make sacrifices for the ones we love, even if they don't know it or understand it…." Lacus intoned in a soft voice, but her words carried a terrible weight that tugged painfully at Luna's heart, and it felt as if she understood her suffering. "The pain and loss that you're experiencing now… had been mine, had been Cagalli's…" She paused, and stroked Luna's hair tenderly, as a mother would have done.  
"Had been Athrun's…"

At the sound of his name, Lunamaria let out a sound of distraught and grief, and cried hoarsely, "I… I killed him!" She clung on to Lacus, crying as she choked out those words. "I killed…him. I had no choice, he killed my father!"

Lacus shook her head tiredly, "Athrun didn't kill anyone." Luna looked up at the songstress for explanation.

"I met him." She said simply.

Luna gasped, and thought quickly, then whispered in disbelief. "You're lying, he's dead!"

"…Don't get me wrong..." Lacus said as she looked at her darkly, and Luna slowly realized that the songstress was tormented by this meeting as well, she did not want to meet Athrun's murderer in such an intimate manner.

"I met him on the Ragnarok. Before the battle between Zaft and the so-called-heretics. He said he never gave the order to destroy Janurius."

"……And you believed him just like that?!"

"Yes." She nodded calmly, adamantly. "…I do…I did."

Luna understood, because she knew Athrun as well, when he felt that something is worth doing, its worth declaring, because it's right. That's the justice that he endorsed, and it made him popular as one of the most honest and down-to-the-earth leaders on the face of the planet. But at the moment Luna condemned herself for believing Lacus. Because it meant…  
"…You killed the wrong man." Lacus said mercilessly.

"Noo!!" Luna screamed as she pushed the other woman away, but Lacus grabbed her by the shoulders. "You can still redeem the situation, you can still save your crew and your ship!!" Lacus stopped to catch her breath.

"…You can help Shinn…."

_That made Luna stop._

Lacus made to catch her eye, and whispered urgently. "Instead of just vegetating here, help me! I know where Shinn is, he was locked up in the same place as Councilor Amarfi, I can get them out, I have eyes and hands in the prisons, but I need you to get us off the colony."

"You have no where to go!" Luna cried in distraught, "Even if you did manage to save them…"

"I know where I should go, and I want to bring you guys with me." Lacus said gently, like she was comforting a spooked child.

"Even me?" Luna challenged, knowing she was losing the fight. "Even the one who had killed Athrun?"

There was a haunted look in Lacus's eyes, she gasped softly and turned to look away, hesitating, grappling with anger in her heart. But she seemed to recover her composure quickly enough that she gazed back a Luna almost immediately, "Yes…even you."

"Why?!" Luna screamed in exasperation, "I killed Athrun!"

"…Because… he would have wanted me to…" Lacus admitted. Luna gasped, and tears ran down her face unknowingly.

"Then…on the battlefield, I heard his voice, everyone did. But…I know you did not kill him, he allowed himself to be killed by you… That's just the kind of thing he seems prone to doing…If anything…it was his choice…and it was honorable. Soldiers… have this thing for honor that no one can take away. It was his choice......"

Luna gasped softly.

"So…I don't blame you. I can't…and I won't. We go together." She whispered with a finality that broke Luna's heart.

Lunamaria took a long, deep breath. And Lacus knew in that instant, it was make it or break it, she sensed the decision pending, on the verge of spilling out from the lips of the other woman.

"Lacus…" she implored, "Tell me something."

"......I'll answer if I can."

"If it wasn't Athrun…" Lunamaria lifted her gaze, and met that of the pink songstress, "Who was it?"

"…How will it matter if you knew?" Lacus said tiredly as she shook her head.

"Answer me!"

Lacus hesitated for a long, long time, before finally answering, "Supreme Councilor Elthman."

Luna gasped softly, then collected herself with a deep breath. "Then…I know just what to do." She replied, and the look in her eyes sent a shiver up Lacus's spine. "I'll do what you ask, but you must do what I ask too. But no matter what..." She paused, and Lacus held her breath.

"I'm not going with you..."

_Ooo_

"Sas~~." A mechanic whined, "Talk to me."

"Shut up." Doctor Sas snapped at the other man who is insisting on snuggling with him on one chair.

"Oh, come on. I'm bored, and I miss you! Talk to me, tell me you miss me!"

"I might if you give me some room and help, Councilor. Steven. Bane." Sas only retorted coldly, it was two in the morning, he was tired, smelly and irritable. The man disguised as a mechanic is none other than Supreme Councilor Steven Bane, he had been one of those who defected in the last battle against Zaft. However, he was also known to be eccentric and unpredictable. During the meeting in the morning, he made no effort to make it known to Athrun that he was also present just because he 'Did not feel like it.'. Violet knew of his odd reasoning and mannerisms and had left him to his own devices with an off-handed 'Heh.'. _One really had to hand it to that woman; only she can leave an argument with such grace and dignity even when she had clearly lost it._

"What are you doing?" Steven questioned as he peered over Saspuri's shoulder like a nosy kid.

"Decoding." His reply was curt, he did not want to waste anymore of his mental faculties on his friend. Saspuri had spent the last few weeks trying to tell what that little journal Spencer Gladys brought to him said. It was a bunch of gibberish till he finally found references that pointed it to a system of symbols used by a minor civilization more ancient than the Egyptians. It was the first and only breakthrough. The translation went smoothly, and when it was done the computer churned out a load of gibberish in alphabets. He sighed.

_Some things required a human touch._

"Will you sleep with me if you finish early?" Steven questioned. Sas rolled his eyes, his patience thinning, he turned to the other man's botox-ly smooth features. "Please, Steven. First, you're an old man. Second, act your age. And third, I love my wife, so shut up and let me concentrate."

"But she's gone for nearly ten years, surely she wouldn't mind sharing. And tonight you smell so…" Steven took a deep breath, and smiled contently, "…Ooooo…Manly."

"I mind. And hey…" Sas shuddered, and realized with a start, "You have double PHDs in English Literature and Political Sciences…"

"Yeah, so?"

"Get a chair and plant you sorry behind on it before I kick it back to PLANTs."

"Yessir." Steven was back in an instant, on a chair, Sas smiled.

"Tell me what you see."

_SisenegIkimicsosactIItrev_

"Nothing." Steven replied, "A bunch of random letters. Greek? Koren? Japanese?"

Saspuri wanted to pulled out his hair. "Precisely, I have been staring at this title and first line for god-knows-how-long and I don't see any sequence to it."

"What is this anyway?"

"You know the DSSD? The joint efforts between PLANTs, Orb and Federation to further space exploration? This was found in space, in a fortress called Siseneg. And someone there could read it and immediately told one of our soldiers that Chairman Zala was in danger, and that happened right before the kidnap. And you can see…what happened. If we can decode this, we can predict the movements of our enemy…" and when he saw that Steven was gazing at him inquisitively, he added, "Whoever they are."

"Okay. So if I solve it you'll sleep with me?"

"No!"

"But I'll be lonely~~!"

"I repeat, I love my wife. And I was a cleric even when I was head doctor for Patrick, so get lost."

Steven laughed, and stared at the screen, "The title should probably look like this. Since we know Siseneg is a place and the upper cases are probably numbers."

_Siseneg IKimicsosact IItrev_

"Numbers…words…I know what this is…!" Doctor Sas exclaimed. "What?" Steven asked as Sas went to dig out something, he emerged triumph from the mess a few moments later with a little leather-bound book…

"A Bible?" Steven asked with a raised eyebrow. "What has it got to do with any…"

"Look!" Sas interrupted as he flipped to the contents page, "Genesis, till revelations! 66 books!"

"So?"

"Seven! The holy number, Genesis, second Timothy, Revelations…" He pointed to the 'IItrev' on screen. "First, eleventh, twenty second, thirty third, Forty fourth, fifty fifth and sixty sixth books."

_Siseneg IKi Mic Sos Act IIt Rev_

"Hmm, seven. So, if we divide the first line into segments of seven…"

_eprtithe tsaneis hheneew ooseeks eurrtac_

"That's helpful…" Sas said coldly, somewhat crestfallen. But he was excited as well, he had made more progress in the last hour than he did in the last three weeks, they were getting closer.

"Don't you find it weird?" Steven said after chewing on his manicured nails.  
"What's weird?"

"Only Genesis is spelt backwards."

"So…?"

"So, if we put the first letter as the last one in every segment…"

_prtihee saneist heneewh oseekso urrtace_

"Poohweeee~"

"No, I think we are on to something." Sas said as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes crossly. "Come'on, think, think, we're so darn close!"

Steven bit his nails some more as silence prevailed in the room, both were thinking hard, they were so close to solving the matrix. Wordlessly, he took over the bible in Sas's hands and flipped it around carelessly, then studied the content page, as if hoping the little book will open its mouth and speak to him.

And it did-not in the literal sense-but his expression brightened as he tugged Sas's white sleeve, "Hey! I think I know!!" He exclaimed, "I know what it says!!"

"So tell me already!"

"I want to blackmail you first." Steven looked at him and said stubbornly. "Promise to sleep with me."

"Hell, no!"

"Then suggest someone as hot as you are~~" Steven insisted, stomping his foot on the ground.

"I don't know…" Sas clawed at his hair in impatience, "Murasaki san?"

"You do know I only like men, right?"

"Arghhhhh, I don't know, Yzak Jule!?"

"That's an idea. I love his hair…"

"Tell me!"

"Kay, kay, you don't have to shout. But I think I'll rather have Tad's son, ooooo…that bronzed skin. But here, see, it's Song of Solomon, followed by Micah and not the other way round."

"So… if we switch the third and fourth letters…" Sas was catching on.

"Viola!" We have our code!"

_prithee saneist heonewh oseekso urtrace_

"Now all we have to do is to add in the commas and full stops and recombine the alphabets…It's a little wordplay..."

_Prithee, sane is the one who seeks our trace_

"Yes!! Steven, you're a genius!"

"Don't I at least deserve a hug?" he looked at doctor Sas with a hopeful twinkle in his eye.

"Aw, fine!" Sas snapped, exasperated as he gave a quick placating hug to the other man.

"I'm reenergized, here comes the first eight lines!"

_Prithee, sane is the one who seeks our trace_

_Regrets, we have not, in death's face_

_For when the key lies in thy hands_

_These Chronicles reveal but a secret plan_

_Pass not over to the other side_

_For deep is the darkness that resides_

_Behold, you have been warned time and again_

_Enter, only if one desires the pain…_

"Yes, we did it!" Sas gave a wild cheer, and slapped high five with the Supreme Councilor. "I have to tell Chairman Zala, do you he'll still be awake?"

That was when a gunshot sounded, and it reverberated down the hallway. It placed an abrupt end to their celebrations. Both did not move for the next few seconds.

"He'll be awake now…" Steven said slowly.

"Crap. It sounded like…" Sas's whispered, he was trembling a little.

"Like what?"

"…Like it came from the Chairman's room!" Dr Sas exclaimed as he leapt out of his chair and ran towards the exit. But the door slipped open before he got there, Athrun was standing there with a woman over his shoulder and a child by his side.

"Athrun…!" Sas sputtered in relief as he went to Athrun like a fussy parent, and noticed the blood on his shoulder. "You…What happened?"

"Treat Belle first, I can't wake her." Athrun replied, warding off Saspuri with a look and dropping Belle onto the bed, he sounded like a hundred-year-old man.

Saspuri studied Athrun intently. _The younger man appeared quite unfazed, had he gotten use to constantly being attacked, assaulted or assassinated?_

It was quite unimaginable to have to live life that way. But there was something about him that has changed; he is still the refined, strapping young man that had ruled PLANTs. But something had changed, there was something darker in his eyes that made him feel …_dangerous._

"Supreme Councilor Bane." Athrun addressed the other man in the room; Steven stiffened visibly.

"Welcome aboard… Please spread the news, I would like to meet all Supreme Councilors and Captains tomorrow morning at 9 am sharp in briefing room 2. Can you do that for me?"

Steven shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, as if tempted to say 'Anything, you're the boss.', then seem to decide against it and fell into a sharp salute. "Yes sir."

"Thank you."

"May I question...Why?" Steven asked, all flippancy gone from his voice. I would like to know the brief agenda...There's not point if it is merely an opening for more assassins to get a shot at you, sir."

Athrun paused, and looked at Steven. Then smiled serenely. But Sas knew better, it was not the usual, kind smile. That smile looked alien on Athrun's face.

"We're going to war." Athrun replied evenly.

Ooo

Cagalli moved lethargically, there was still poison in her system. She shook herself, trying to awaken her senses. She felt like she was in a waking dream, yet the soreness in the depths of her body proved cruelly that it was not.

With that she squeezd her eyes sut and her hands grabbed the blankets, holding it closer to herself, attempting to shield herself from the shame and nakedness that came rushing. Only that her mind recalled it too vividly the moments the man violated her and disgraced her...

_Tears welled in her eyes._

Cagalli Yula Athha had never been weak, she had never been vulnerable or helpless.

_But now she is._

She was just lying there, stripped of more than her clothing and her purity. He had robbed her of her pride and her courage and her chastity. She is too ashamed to face the world, too afraid to face her people…

_Too tainted to face him…_

She started sobbing, and clutched her heart; willing it to stop beating altogether. But the muscle rebelled one time, and another, and continued defying her will. It went on beating; singing the melody of life, praising that fact that it still valiantly living…

_To go on living, is the greatest battle of all…_

_She remembered...he was still out there somewhere, living, fighting tha battle she told him to fight; sweaing he'll never run away so long as she was fighting with him._

She opened her eyes, and roughly wiped at her swollen eyes, smudging away her tears.

_The show must go on…_

_Whatever happened last night does not mean anything. They were reputed to be lovers, and what happened last night will only give the media one less reason to be suspicious of the charade. The fact that he is attracted to her physically gave her an intangible power over him. Her own body was a weapon she could use against him, and if need be, threaten him with. Things are working to her advantage. She will form an alliance with EAF, she will congeal the forces against Tad Elthman, she will be the victor in the end... _

_And she will see him again... she had to be strong fo both their sakes. She want to at least hold her kids again and tell them everything is alright......_

She willed her tears to stop, there was no use in crying. Crying will not help her protect her husband and children...

She got off the bed, her limbs felt like lead, but she commanded them to move, to drag her unwilling form off the dirtied sheets. She noticed a gown nicely folded at the foot of the bed. She put it on unthinkingly even though it was crimson and likely from that man, anything was better than being completely beige. She had gone too deep to stop herself from playing his game now.

She went in front of the vanity, and combed and arranged her unkempt hair in a deliberately slow fashion. The time allowed her to numb her pain. A plan formulated in her head, a plan to ensure she will be so busy that she'll not have time to remember this night…but first, she needed to see Kisaka…

_She'll get revenge…_

She looked into the eyes of them woman in the mirror, the woman in red who had been disgraced…

_She'll make him pay for all that he had done._

With that, she closed her eyes.

_She'll take up her sword once again......_

_Oooooo_

Hi ppl~~!

I finally manage to update, my gosh, this chapter is so long. (16 pages on Word O.o)

This is the first time I'm writing a chapter that is so mature and intense, and frankly speaking I was worried that some may not be able to accept it. But I feel that readers would have grown up with the story even if we were all teens when we started three years ago… It's an ugly turn of events, but stay with it. The sun will come shining at the end of the day.

Hope you guys like this packed, packed chapter.

Please R & R!

Yours,

Ming

Ming


	19. Chapter 19: Birth of blood

Chapter 19: Birth of blood

Tad Elthman was sitting in what had been Athrun's office, his legs perched merrily on the desk. It was a spacious hall that was neat and tidy. Shelves and shelves of books lined the walls of the cavernous room, imparting it the look of an ancient library, and Athrun is apparently an ancient librarian who is obsessed with filing.

Personally, Tad Elthman marveled at how little imprint Athrun had left behind in a room he had inhabited for at least half of the past seven years. There were no personal belongings; unless one count a coffee maker, an extra set of Chairman uniform and two pairs of military boots as personal. Neither were there evidences of the people who mattered to him, it were as if he hadn't existed in this room before. All in all, the room was like his person.

_Heartless, deadly, and without loose ends._

Then Tad stumbled upon a secret compartment below the middle drawer.

He fished out the glossy pictures that finally shed some humanity onto the invincible Chairman Zala. There were pictures of Yamato couple, a lot of kids, Asuka, the Hawke girls, their military school graduation photo, and tucked right at the back was a photo that made Tad Elthman's heart skip a beat.

It was a photo of Lenore and her son.

_Tad Elthman fell in love with Lenore when he was fifteen._

When he first met her, he knew he loved her. What he did not know was, he would for the rest of his life. It was a crush, a love at first sight, an infatuation; call it what you will, but in any way it can be called, it was absolutely silly.

She was introduced as a good friend of Patrick's on one of their Wednesday book-out outings to a pub, it was usually him, Yuli, Patrick and Ezaria. And the first time she stretched out her hand and met his eyes and smiled, his heart fluttered in delight, as if it had been blissfully electrocuted. Subsequently, he coaxed Patrick-then, young, bashful and utterly shy-to invite her for every one of their Wednesday outings. And as Tad and Lenore became steadfast friends, Patrick and Lenore became something more…

_He will always remember the pain as she told him, "Tad, I'm marrying Patrick."_

Of course he told her he was happy for her and will turn up, then hung up and locked himself up for a week. And for a month after their wedding. And after a month of confinement, he told himself that her happiness is enough, _it was all the reason he needed to go on_.

Ezaria was there, she had been the one comforting him, lending the shoulder to cry on. And she advised him to find himself a new someone to make him forget Lenore.

He married Dearka's mother within a year.

_Still, he could not forget her. _

The marriage was blessed by many. But Tad Elthman found himself always thinking of Lenore while making love to his wife, and consequently, he could not bear to touch her for the guilt that came after. He chose to escape, he would rather loiter on the streets late into the night than return home to face the woman he did not love but loved him back dearly. Gradually, the pressure of producing an heir for the family added to his frustrations, and eventually, he gave in. He had to perform his duties as a man, as a husband; even if he could not play that of a lover. But after three years of trying, no child was born, and it became evident that she was quite barren.

One night, somewhere in March, when it was cold and he was quite drunk and disappointed with life, he got assaulted by a robber while staggering home. And Ezaria arrived in the nick of time with a bunch of armed guards to rescue him. He was so grateful to her, then a newly married woman, and in that instant, years of gratitude and pain and yearning came pouring, and when he awoke, she was lying contented in his arms. It was a one night stand, and he told her he was willing to be responsible. She only laughed in a haughty manner and told him, _"Responsible? For what? I'm two months pregnant." _

In the same year, three women got pregnant. Ezaria, Lenore and his wife. Resultantly, the three of the often stuck together and formed a mini support group. Tad grew elated, not over his unborn child, but by how frequent Lenore and Ezaria would come over to fuss over his wife's bloated belly. And he could watch her while pretending he was as excited about the babies as they were.

Ezaria was first, she gave birth in late August. And when he called her to congratulate her, she cried inconsolably. And Tad was utterly baffled.

"_Ezaria? Is everything okay?" _

"_I…I lost the baby…" She sobbed, and the sound of this invulnerable woman falling to pieces on the phone was enough to make his heart break._

"_How…? Are you…?"_

"_I don't know! I don't know…maybe Lenore…" She stopped herself, and refused to say more. She disappeared from his life altogether._

A few months later in the next March, Dearka'a mother died giving birth to her son. Tad was on a business trip to earth when she passed on, and did not get to see her triumph as she held the infant in her arms for a first and last time and whispered.

'_I have finally given him a son…'_.

Tad Elthman came back to his baby and an empty house, and for the first time, cried for the woman whom sacrificed so much in loving him. She could have chosen to save herself, but she did not, instead she chose to give his child life; and in the process, forfeited her own. He wept for her, but he found no love in his heart. There was companionship and acceptance and a longing for a dead friend. But there was never love.

_He had already given his heart to another woman a long time ago…_

Last, came Lenore, who gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy in late October. Along with little Nicol and Rusty, the little boys grew up together. And in Tad's opinion, they were a little bunch of smart brats. Rusty was proactive and innovative, Nicol quiet and musically inclined, Dearka was bossy and resourceful, but the three paled in comparison to Athrun.

He is a child prodigy, by the age of five, he had learnt to write and speak fluently in three languages, he was artistically gifted and his leadership qualities were apparent even at such a tender age. He may not speak the loudest (unlike little Dearka), or makes most sense, but most people are willing to listen when he talks. And these qualities made other children jealous, afraid and in awe of him, resultantly, he was quite alone. So instead, he chose to talk less, or only when necessary.

When they were about four or five, Ezaria came back out of the blue, and for some reason, had a little boy with her. She told them he was a clone, his name is Yzak. And oddly, Dearka seemed taken by the prospects of having a clone as a friend and a manufacturing date as a birthday, and they became buddies instantly.

As Patrick's campaign grew, his family's safety was compromised, and Athrun was sent to the moon while Lenore went to Junius as a researcher.

_Tad called Lenore the night before she died. _

She had been on Junius 7, conducting her research on her precious crops. Retrospectively, Tad wondered if he could have done something to save her then.

_Could he have told her to run? Could he have told her he loved her and wanted her with him back on Aprilius? _

The options seemed limitless, but no one could predict that she, along with 20 000 over citizens, will die tomorrow.

"_Lenore Zala speaking." She said cheerfully as she picked up the phone._

"_Tad here. How're you?"_

"_Good, I haven't heard from you in a while too. How're things? How's Dearka?"_

"_The same, just that every time I blink he seems to grow taller." He joked, "Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be back on PLANTs tomorrow?"_

"_Oh, don't you start too. I already had an earful from Patrick for missing our wedding anniversary." She laughed, it was a chime-like and beautiful sound, and Tad suppressed a delighted sigh. "But…just between me, you and Athrun, I've a secret mission here on Junius."_

"_Interesting. Tell me."_

_A sigh, a mother pining for her child to come home. Tad knew Lenore wanted Athrun to be schooled on PLANTs where she could teach him and watch him grow every day, not sent away across the other side of the planet to be alone and independent when he was fresh out of kindergarten; then returning home as a teenager she hardly knew. _

"_Athrun will be thrilled! I'll skip the chemistry; you politicians have no patience for it. But basically it's an alloy that does not rust, breaks or bends easily, with good conductive and magnetic properties, best of all, it's very easy to work with and the components can be extracted from bioengineered spent corn sheaths. The extraction is taking a little longer than expected, but I think it will make a good gift for Athrun." _

_Tad thought about Mobile suits, and said, "Cool."_

"_I think so too, it'll be worth it to stay for another day or two to finish the work."_

_He laughed, "Yes."_

"_If you see my son around, can you not spill the beans?" She requested, "It's meant to be a surprise."_

"_Of course."_

"…_I really miss him." She sighed quietly._

_For some reason, Tad felt a little miffed._

_The next day, she died._

And from that day Lenore died, Tad hated Athrun.

_She died for him, she died because she loved him; she died loving him…_

The notion left a bitter taste in Tad's mouth every time he thought about it. His jealousy towards Patrick only went so far, but whether Athrun knew, admitted or understood it at all, Lenore had died because of him; his very presence had indirectly caused her death.

Tad Elthman clenched his fist, feeling his fingernails dig into his palm. Then he shook himself, telling himself that he had avenged her; the one who had caused her death is now dead.

Tad brought up the photo frame, and delicately stroked her face, an eternal smile was lighting up her beautiful features as she held her son to herself in the picture. Both had the same pair of forest green, soulful eyes.

_Lenore Zala had never loved Tad Elthman._

Ooo

"I want to see the Chairman!" Belle sobbed hysterically as she attempted to get off the bed, but her sister, Belinda held her down firmly. "Dr Sas's says you're in no condition to go anywhere! You've a nasty hole on your head, so start acting like the invalid you're supposed to be!"

"No!" She cried out, "He was shot, wasn't he?"

Belinda sighed wearily, "He was…" She acknowledged in a small voice, "But he seems to be in better shape than you, at least he's having a meeting with the army leaders now."

"I need to go see him!" She screamed, and pushed against her sister, the effort made her weak and she almost hit her bandaged skull on the bed post.

"What you're doing is aggravating your wounds!" Belinda informed her heatedly, "Get a grip on yourself! It's alright, Beth is there, guarding him right now, watching his back! The only way you are going to see him is when you heal enough that your brains will not spill out from the crack in your head!"

Belle bit her lip, and sobbed quietly, knowing she cannot win the argument against her sister, not in her current state. "Can…can you ask him…to come…?" She pleaded, her voice trembled, "I want to…to apologize…"

Belinda sighed, and conceded to the compromise after a few moments. "…I'll ask the Chairman later…" She promised.

"What if…?" Belle whispered as she bit her lip and shook her head in despair, "What if he doesn't…come…What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he's angry with me…?" Belle questioned repeatedly in a hushed tone, her eyes wide.

"Belle, you're thinking too much…" But Belle interrupted her with a moan, "What if…? Oh…Belinda…" fresh tears started rolling down her cheeks. "What if he h…hates… me? What will I do then? Will he…ever forgive me…?"

"I don't hate you."

Ooo

"…I don't hate you." He repeated, more gently, more sincerely as he made his way towards his aide, a woman who was badly injured because of him.

It was a moment of silence, and it was peaceful. The two women turned to look him. Belle gasped and apparently hid her face in shame when she saw that his left arm was bundled in a sling.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…!" She whimpered as she begun crying anew into the blanket, her voice was quivering piteously. "I've failed you…"

Athrun gave a tired and heartfelt sigh, he laid a comforting hand on her trembling shoulder and shook his head whimsically.

"No…Belle, look at me…" He whispered.

"Don't ask me to forgive you…"

She gasped. And Belinda merely stiffened, but made no further move.

"…Because you haven't failed me."

Belle gasped softly.

"…I have." She muttered miserably into the blanket after a few moments. "I promised that no one will be able to hurt you…"

He shook his head again, and bit his lip as he whispered with finality. "But…No one can prevent me from getting hurt…"

Belle gasped, for she understood the double meaning behind his words.

_In many ways, Athrun was more broken than she was. And no one could comfort him; no words had the power to heal the hurt of a betrayal so great… The rims of his eyes were reddened, tears were on the verge of spilling out. But somehow, he barely- just barely-concealed his pain and held back his tears. _

"You haven't fail me…" He repeated, pain raw in his voice.

"…Don't dismiss me…" She pleaded.

"I won't." He reassured, "…you did a good job, you gave me enough warning to save my life." He said sincerely.

With that, she mustered enough courage to look up at him. Then she was forced to lower her gaze, breathing hard. Athrun moved to catch her as she slipped sideways, allowing her to lean on him.

"Belle…? You okay?" Athrun asked, concerned. Belle nodded, her tears not stopping, and she burrowed herself deeper into Athrun's chest. Athrun bit his lip, and turned around to look for Belinda, but strangely enough, she has vanished without him noticing.

"Chairman Zala…" Belle whispered, quite pleadingly. "…Athrun…?"

"I'm here..." He replied, he could not bear to ignore her, not when she was in such a state because of him. More than that, she is his guard, beyond that, his friend…

"…Can you …stay…for a while…?" She sobbed softly, her tears landing on his uniform.

Athrun looked tenderly at the beautiful girl in his arms, he knew he was threading on thin ice, but he had no heart to refuse.

He nodded.

A hand reached to cling to his collar, it was small and cold, it held on to him yearningly. There was an IV drip stuck into the vessels at the back of that pale, weak hand.

"Athrun…" Belle breathed, a small smile lighting up her pretty, tear-stained face. She was smiling despite her pain. "Thank you…"

_Why…? I only caused you grief…_

For some reason, Athrun felt sad. And the illogical feeling would not go away, instead, it intensified and threatened to suffocate him…

He forced himself to smile back, and held Belle shoulder in return. "You're welcomed."

With the smile on her face, she closed her eyes and rested wholly against him.

"You're…so kind…so gentle…"

He was dumbfounded for a few moments, those were the same things Lacus, and Cagalli and Kira said…those…he thought he might do without…

"Kind and gentle…huh…"

And before he could react properly, a pair of lips had gazed his right cheek.

He coloured.

"B…Belle?"

Her soft lips then lingered on his chin.

"I love you…" She whispered with a finality that broke Athrun's heart, then, her body went limp.

"Belle?" He exclaimed as he turned to consult the heart monitor, it was still beeping mechanically.

He gave a shaky sigh as he realized she was just asleep.

Heat was crawling at his cheeks, at the moment, he did not know what to do, how to feel. It feels nice when someone confesses to him, and for some reason, he had the urge to embrace her, but he knew he could not do that to her.

So he chose to lay her down gently.

Ooo

"Belle okay?" Belinda asked as she looked up to Athrun, she was just standing outside, "What happened to you?" She asked when she saw the pink on Athrun's face.

"Nothing." He lied quickly. Then he took a deep breath, and let it out as he counted to ten.

"You came to tell us something?" Belinda asked, then looked pointedly at Bethany.

Athrun gathered his wits with a few moment, "This is what I came to speak to you three about…From this day on…I'm no longer your employer."

"Chairman…?" Belinda asked, evidently surprised.

"Please, call me Athrun from now." He replied sternly, but not unkindly. "Then we talk."

"Chair…Ath…What's all this about?"

"We're going to wage war against Zaft . We're going rouge, finally! Since we are no longer an army but just a bunch of terrorists…" Bethany chirped.

"I'll no longer be Chairman but the leader of a bunch of terrorists…" Athrun finished evenly, "And…terrorism is not a hierarchy…it a dictatorship, so…"

"What…what did the Generals and Councilors say about this?"

Bethany smiled, "They said, 'Like what you say, it's a dictatorship, we cannot decide for our soldiers what they want to do with their loyalties. So, please, let them hear for themselves. Let them hear your voice and resolve whether to stick to you till death.'"

Belinda's eyes widened, and looked at Athrun in disbelief, "I can't believe it…"

"Can't believe…what?" Athrun questioned.

"That you have to ask, of course we'll stick to you!"

"Why…?"

She gave a pained look, feeling as if there was no need to explain, she sighed dramatically. "Chair…Za…Ath…Athrun, don't mind me saying…I don't think you're aware…but you're our benefactor…and…if I can call you that…" She scratched her head uncharacteristically, hiding her embarrassment. "…our friend."

Athrun could only widen his eyes in mild confusion.

She sighed, and the sound sounded so tired. "Haflings…have no place in the world…The world is so big, the fate of humans is no longer held hostage to one planet, one system…or even one galaxy. Yet…haflings have no place in this big world. You were the one who made a place for us in this world…" At this point, tears brimmed in her eyes, and Athrun was alarmed, "Belinda?"

Bethany continued as she gestured awkwardly, as if asking Athrun's permission to let her speak.

"When…we graduated from Zaft military academy as reds during Dullliandal's rule, no one wanted to employ us. Our poor single mother had worked so hard at bringing us up after her wimpy Natural husband ran off. And as grownups, we couldn't even take care of her and put food on the table. We couldn't apply for social services as PLANTs never acknowledged our citizenships. Our relatives disowned us when my mother got married. We held on together…but our mother was weakened by many years of hardwork and heartache, she was becoming skinnier by the day and she was no longer young and still she had to work her butt off. One day, she collapsed from malnourishment and we didn't even have to money to send her to the hospital…We were desperate…"

"That's when you came along." Belinda added in. "You were a boy then, 19, shorter and chubbier and didn't know what's good for yourself when you stepped up as PLANTs Chairman. You have many powerful enemies and not-so-powerful friends, only a death-seeker will want to be your bodyguard. When we got through the selection trials, we thought it was the end…no one employs haflings."

"I remember the final test…You were the final examiner who armed each of the six of us with a standard Zaft dagger and said, 'All are equal on the battlefield.'" Bethany joined.

"I meant that as, 'Don't blame me if you died…" Athrun replied, mildly amused.

The two women laughed, Bethany replied. "The meaning of words only depends on who's listening to them."

"It was three on one…or rather…six." Belinda sighed, "And after that you became our martial arts teacher, even though we are older than you! But I must admit it, you're darn good, maybe a little out of practice, but good."

"The point is…you changed our lives…" Bethany concluded, "Our mother is now happy and healthy and remarried. And in case anything happens to us, we have enough reserve in the event of KIA-ness that's enough to feed her for a lifetime or two..."

"But…" Athrun started, Belinda did the unexpected, she knelt down before him and she took one of his hands in both of hers, the same one that Belle had held on to. Then lifted it to her lips and kissed it. Bethany did the same with his other hand.

"Bel…Beth…?" Athrun stuttered, a little embarrassed at the gesture. He tried to yank his hand back but she held it fast.

"Get up…Please." He pleaded, unsure at what they are trying to do.

"No." She did not look at him as she tilted her head further downward, a gesture of absolute fealty. "Don't you see…? You don't have to care about what others say about you being …soft, or weak." She pressed her forehead against his hand. "You're not, embracing the weak is not weakness. Clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry…These are the miracles that this pair of hands have performed…" At this point, she looked at him, and emotions were spilling from the look in her crimson orbs.

"Those idiots can say what they like about you compromising traditions and giving in to Naturals. It doesn't matter if you married Athha. 'Blue and Natural world, Coordinators are superior, we must take dominance…' All these just go right over our heads. But you are the one who touched our lives…you… made the difference."

"We knew about Cagalli Yula Athha…since the time at the Galactical Conference four years ago." Belinda went on explaining as she saw the alarm on Athrun's face. "A day before the event, when you leaned out of the hotel window and saw Cagalli Yula Athha playing in the kiddie pool with the little envoys…The way you looked at them set goose bumps on my goose bumps…We knew then, but it doesn't make a difference, it wouldn't stop us from hero-worshipping you. We will die for you if you just give the word."

"Me, Belinda and Belle. The three of us swear fealty to you. From this moment on, you're our liege, to hell with what the army generals and Supreme Councilors say. We are definitely on your side, and we will not allow you to die before we do."

He felt a sting to his eyes.

It was so old-fashion, so ridiculous that these Zaft soldiers were kneeling at his feet and saying they will protect him with their lives…

Not Zaft…not PLANTs, but _Athrun Zala, just Athrun Zala_…

He was touched and left utterly speechless at the extend of loyalty they had showed, it was something he feel he did not deserve…

_I don't want anyone else to die for me…not the three of you…not anyone…_he thought bitterly as he somehow began to understand what Cagalli said to him after the assassination attempt when he was her bodyguard.

_It's not alright…you're not alright…_

He had the same mistake as Cagalli…he had taken his aides under his wing and thought of them as more then mere pawns…

But all that came out of his mouth was a helpless statement, because at that moment, his decisions had left him no other choice but to take the path that was set before him and forsake all others…

"…Thank you…."

Oooooo

"Oh…you're awake." Leonidas Fitzbane whispered in delight as Cagalli approached him, she was in the thin red gown that he had left her. It showed off her curves and the ripeness of her body, he felt an urge come almost immediately.

She noticed that he was alone on the balcony, and she smiled serenely at him. With her hands tucked behind her back, she looked like a shy schoolgirl confessing her feeling to the boy she loved…

He took an involuntary half-step back, swallowing.

He expected Cagalli to be angry, somewhat violent and perhaps on the dangerous side. The Orb princess was known for her temper, not her patience. A burning mass, he could handle, but by sheer contrast, her cool, icy demeanor was utterly unnerving.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself last night?" She questioned conversationally. But the look in her bloodshot eyes were foreign and uninviting, they seemed to be looking past him to a place he did not know. It made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"Of course, my lady." He forced himself to reply graciously. "Who wouldn't be, when he is with you?"

"Good." She said, "Because there is something I want you to know."

She came closer then, and stopped right in front of him. When she was so close, her youth and beauty became a sweet perfume that lured his senses to desire, to see and touch this goddess.

"You love me…don't you?" She questioned almost huskily, her feline-like posture caused perspiration to gather at his brow.

"Yes, dear." He answered sincerely.

_Who would say no to this sexy female creature?_

"…Hold me…"

He thought it was too good to be true, but his arms had wrapped themselves around her.

It was when he felt something hard jabbing at the small of his back did he realize why she was being so open all of a sudden.

_The tip of the silencer pressed against his spine._

"Last night…You told me an amazing story… So it's my turn now." She whispered softly into his ear, all invitation gone.

"All my life…I've only met one man whom I truly love, and he loves me back in return." Her words were laced with sorrow, but carried a bitter undertone.

"You don't have to do this, dear…" He muttered serenely, his voice steady as she pulled back the safety catch of the gun.

"Hush…let me finish." She berated gently, "…You're right, I am not one of those keep-it-clean political leaders. Me and him, our stolen time together was short, but happy. And you, bastard…"

Her finger tightened slightly over the trigger.

"You can violate my body all you want, but you'll never win… Not when he still holds first place in my heart. You've lost. No matter what, I love him…but I hate you."

"Cagalli…"

"Now…we are ready to discuss terms, aren't we? We will form a united front, we will wage war against Tad Elthman and his perverted sidekicks…won't we?"

"Yes, my lady…" Leonidas agreed quickly, it was not difficult, these were things he had planned to do anyway. "Just out of curiosity…who is this man who holds first place in your heart?"

She laughed, her scorn merciless and scathing to any man's ego.

"Anyone, it isn't you."

"...Tell me anyway…I want to try to win…" He coaxed.

"Swear then, if I tell you, you cannot hurt him…It's a fair game then."

"I promise."

"Listen carefully then..." She lowered her voice further, "His name is Athrun Zala…"

Oooooo

At precisely 0900, Yzak saw the doors opened, and Athrun stepped in through quietly with Belinda and Bethany trailing behind him, his gaze swept across the mass of soldiers who had gathered in the hall; green, reds, whites and purples.

Oddly enough, he did not stay at the front, but walked towards the center purposefully. Those who recognized him saluted, some unwillingly, yet he did not stop to return those, but pressed on through the crowd and stopped in the middle of the room. The chatter died down as the soldiers nudged one another, and soon, all stood to attention, facing him.

Yzak was standing with Violet, Steven, Saspuri and Dearka, a few meters to Athrun's left. Shiho was behind Yzak. But the Supreme Councilors did not move forward, for they wanted to hear Athrun's plans before giving him any endorsement. Shinn Asuka stood a distance away, looking every bit suave. Kira was a little way off, unused to being around so many soldiers.

"I am not here to waste your time." Athrun intoned, his voice quiet; Yzak wounded why Athrun sounded so tired and grieved all of a sudden, yet his voice carried well over the heads of the three hundred soldiers in that place.

"Brothers, thank you for coming, there are issues that must be addressed. You have displayed a great measure of chivalry and valiance when you chose to fight against Zaft, and your own motherland…"

A wave of chatter broke out at his statement, but Athrun did not give them time to continue, "And now, I know I'm not speaking to a bunch of warmongering, mindless puppets, but to true warriors who are willing to fight for what they believe in. For an opportunity to speak in front of such a distinct group, I am truly honoured."

There was a glint of pride in some of them men's eyes, while others continued leering at him as if he were a talking cockroach, Shinn was one of those.

Steven appeared slightly amused, "Athrun Zala's playing his cards right, he is acknowledging betrayal in a positive light and giving the men what they needed at the moment."

_A babysitter. _Yzak thought privately.

"Chairman Zala is dead. Like you all, he has committed a grievous crime. He has brought war upon his own nation. However, the similarities end there, for he is unpardonable. He was supposed to be the model citizen for all of PLANTs, yet he has brought death and suffering to the nation. For that, he deserves death himself. Therefore, Chairman Zala governs the PLANTs no more."

Silence. One could hear a pin drop. Yzak saw Steven and Violet nod.

"Yet, the one standing before you hopes to lead war again, but this time… as just Athrun Zala."

That sentence caused a commotion, and Violet smiled, she knew Athrun was speaking in third person, trying to distance the two characters who are essentially one and the same. And both are warmongers; when Athrun clearly was not.

"There are some things that Athrun Zala can do that Chairman cannot, he could become a criminal, he could tear down the webs of deceit that Tad Elthman had spun, and if need be, he can be used as a scapegoat."

Athrun lifted his gaze, and met that of every man in the room including Yzak's. Yzak was surprised, it was so unlike him, for his eyes were usually intelligent but somehow gentle, but now they were cold and deep. And even Yzak was unable to pinpoint what had changed in his rival overnight.

"He can die. And he is willing to… if it will somehow lessen the magnitude of sins left by Chairman Zala…"

He took a deep breath where no one else seemed to dare to breath. And suddenly Yzak understood, he was trying to do what he says he was never good at doing, and he almost could not believe his ears when Athrun next spoke.

"He is willing to fight."

Some of the men nodded, other punched their fist in the air, Dearka cheered wildly. One could almost smell the testosterone in the air, his words had caused emotions to run high. And Steven began smiling and shouted with the rest, he was very pleased. Violet, on the other hand, frowned.

"Sexist..." He heard her hiss under her breath, and Yzak was mildly amused by her ethics.

"He's not!" Steven protested, "I thought the Chairman will forever be a pacifist. And all of us will wait to die in space..."

"I thought so too." Sas acknowledged quietly, in a grave voice he went on. "But war is imminent, fighting is the only way to survive…"

"Quiet." Yzak berated, he wanted to hear.

"Brothers, just as he had made his decision, the time has come for you all to decide. To fight or to run." He accentuated the two words delibrately, the men nodded, others shouted in response.

"Tad Elthman is a madman who needs to be stopped. He has already killed 20,000 of our people, he has murdered them all! Even the women and children! Are we going to let him go scot free?"

"NO!" Shouted the soldiers, anger in their voices, crying blood.

"For the murder of PLANTs most loyal servants, five members of the Supreme Council. Are we going to let him off?"

"NO!" The men roared. Violet's expression grew cold but determined, and Yzak knew she had made her decision in that instant.

"I'm asking for an extra pair of hands. Anyone, anyone who is willing to fight to free our nation! Brothers! Lend me your strength, and together we can save our nation from that mad rebel!"

Some roared, others shouted in assent, the din was enough to drown out a herd of stampeding elephants. Yzak marveled that these disciplined soldiers could actually make such a sound, he wondered if he was still in Zaft. Even the ever untouchable and graceful Violet made a sound of assent that was miraculously both forceful and poise.

Apparently now Athrun knew he had the full attention of these men, so he raised his fist and his voice as he went on.

"You will no longer be soldiers just as I am no longer Chairman! But each of you are brave warriors, fighting in the name of justice! We shall show those who had besieged our nation no mercy!"

The uproar swell with a crescendo, and the noise was overwhelming. After that it was followed by loud choruses of 'Zala, Zala, Zala…'

Athrun showed that he understood well, there was a sick satisfaction in having a reason to die for; a blood-thirst that rose from the will to protect. He had given the men exactly what they needed at that instant, and loyalty was birthed forth in that fateful instant.

_The din was like music to Yzak's ears, for this was exactly what he wanted. _

_Revenge._

Maybe it was exactly what Athrun wanted as well, for his face remained impassive to the chants of his surname. Almost leisurely, he raised both his hands, this time requesting silence. It was given grudgingly by a bunch who was threatening to throw him over their shoulders and body surf him around the arena.

When it was quiet again, Athrun dropped the bomb.

"From now, we will not show mercy to our enemies, but we can show some to our friends. Captain Mobius Francis, red coat Cornelius Xavier. Please, step forward."

_There was no invitation in his words, 'Please' was mere basic courtesy and nothing more._

Eyes converged onto the two men, and they shuffled forward, having no way to hide. Mobius Francis is a mousy man, even his white uniform could not make him look any braver. He was perspiring so much under the intensity of Athrun glare that one would wonder if he was going to wilt. By contrast. Cornelius was big and beefy, and looked almost defiant. Yzak noticed the similarities between him and Mark Jocose, both were big yet with glinting, intelligent eyes. However, if Mark Jocose was a refined, handsome cheetah, the other man will be a hairy gorilla.

"Yes, sir?" General Mobius spoke first as he saluted. He stood a distance away as Belinda and Bethany gave him death glares. Athrun gave them a look, and they departed.

Athrun didn't even look at him as he questioned, "Do you plead guilty of treason?"

It caused a commotion among the soldiers, the younger ones looked like they are on the verge of lunging forward to kill the man bare-handed. Others looked at their captain in confusion.

"S..Sir? What are you talking about?" The mousy man stuttered, "I wouldn't dare…"

"Cut the crap." Athrun said coldly, that was when Bethany and Belinda walked in each pushing a coffins, one was covered by a red cloth, the other, by white.

Athrun made his way to the one covered by the red cloth and unveiled the glass coffin beneath. Inside lay a sinister-looking man about thirty.

"This assassin barged into my quarters at approximately 2.30am the night before with a pistol equipped with a silencer." Athrun reported for the benefit of all, and a wave of anger surged in the air like electricity. "He wounded my aide, who was guarding outside the door." And as he said this, he pulled off the white cloth, pain plain in his voice as he willed his voice to be still. There was a trace of sorrow in his words, just enough for people to notice.

"She died this evening because of her injuries."

Yzak hid a gasp, behind him, Saspuri sighed like an old man.

Within the glass coffin laid Belle, she was wearing a white chiffon dress, looking every bit as beautiful as she was in life. Her face was somewhat identical to that of her two older sisters, who was by sheer contrast, alive. Her head was wrapped in a bandage and her shiny, dark hair spread out like a fan on the pillow. Around and beneath her were swarms of flowers in shades of white, yellow and pink.

"That bastard! He killed Belle!" Dearka hissed, and Yzak held him, barely, He gritted his teeth and shook his head, "And Athrun killed him, she has been avenged. Let's wait and see how his brand of justice plays out here…"

"Before I killed him." Athrun went on emotionlessly as he retrieved a bundle from Bethany and unwrapped it, fishing out a gun "He begged for mercy and told me you sent him and personally gave him that gun." With a dull thud, the weapon hit the ground and skidded to a stop at General Mobius's feet.

"No…No, Sir." The man swallowed and he tried to laugh it off, his attempt was pathetic. "That's just impossible, I gave Xavier the task of…" And his hand flew to cup over his mouth as he realized his mistake.

"Moron!" Xavier Cornelius chided as he made a sudden lunge for the gun on the floor. "I'll finish this for good!" He yelled, spit was flying from his mouth as he charged forward and grabbed the weapon, pointing it at Athrun's heart.

"DIE!"

"ZALA!" Yzak yelled as he rushed forward.

Chaos reigned in that instant as the deranged-looking man's finger tightened ever so slightly over the trigger. There was terrible noise, shouting, and flurry of movements everywhere.

But to Yzak it felt as if he was in his own personal time-stop, it all felt quite surreal. The chorus of voices, the sick satisfaction on the assailant's face, how Belinda and Bethany could not risk knocking over their sister's coffin to get to Athrun, and the surprise clearly printed on Athrun's face as he saw what Yzak was doing. Yzak Jule had lunged forward without thinking towards the middle of the two men; and he placed himself right in front of Athrun…

_Yzak…! _

_ooo ooo ooo ooo_

_Mingathur here, R & R please!_

_I just graduated from Univeristy the day before, Lolz. Now working in a Hospital as a pre-reg Pharmacist. _

_Hope u enjoyed this chapter._

_YOurs_

_Ming_


	20. Chapter 20: The Crimson warlord and

Chapter 20: The Crimson Warlord and the White dress

"_If we still have still have each other…then it doesn't matter whether we have the past…because we'll have a future." ~Kira Yamato_

Oooo

_It was one of those nights they had together; when the kids had been sent off for a slumber party at Kira's place, the work temporarily taken care of by their faithful aides and all potential assassins had been blocked off by their bodyguards. And for a mere space of five hours, they could share their world with only each other._

_And one would wonder, what would two political leaders do when an opportunity such as this presents itself? Something interesting, exciting and probably naughty will come to mind. _

_However, that evening, Athrun and Cagalli merely drove to a deserted, gorgeous-looking countryside, spread a groundsheet and had a pleasant picnic. Beyond that, it was lying side by side on the rolling grasslands and watching the stars blink into existence one by one._

_It was pretty romantic for a couple with two kids, till conversation occurred._

"_Athrun…" Cagalli whispered with a sigh, feeling the grass tickle her neck, "Isn't this nice?"_

"_Not bad…though I'd still rather be in the car." He replied sincerely as he gestured at the sports car parked a few meters away beneath a tree._

"_What's so nice about being in the car?" She questioned incredulously, gesturing at the breathtaking sights and smells around them. _

_He smiled cheekily as he craned his neck to glance at her, "There's no use if I'm in the car alone, you know."_

_This time she got it._

"_Pervert!" She hit him playfully on the chest several times, then he pointed at her hands and retorted, "I'm not a pervert…Look at who's touching who." _

"_You're the pervert because you like it." She said, laughing._

"_Oh, you mean you don't?" He asked, his eyebrows raised a little, he was still amused. "Too bad then."_

"_Too bad what?" She questioned, genuinely curious._

"_Heh, too bad this." He winked mischievously, and in an instant, rolled over to one side and pinned her down with his arm and leg._

"_Ath…Ath…Athurn?" She demanded with more bravado than she actually felt as she trashed around a little, trying to worm her way out._

"_What do you want? I told you we can't tonight, it's still day two!"_

"_I know, I won't do anything…" He promised somewhat reluctantly as he gazed at her in a small, hopeful and flattering manner, then he requested. _

"_Just let me… stay like this for a while, okay?" _

_With that, he leaned towards her and relaxed, seemingly melting against her, demanding her attentions in a child-like manner. She stopped thrashing, finding no will in herself to refuse him. It was unlike Athrun to be so completely unguarded, even in front of her. He was perceived as a cold, hard, impregnable hell's fortress by the media, and a gentle, good man by his friends. To her he was a little of both._

_His body was lean, muscular and warm. So while his head rested on her right arm, she held him back with her left arm, and kissed his forehead lightly._

_They had sworn fidelity to each other. But Athrun is after all, a healthy, twenty one year old man with a twenty one year old's libido. There were times when he quietly confessed that he was lonely or sometimes tempted, and Cagalli's heart went out to him. But their time together was so limited that it seemed wrong to let all be allocated to meeting physical needs. And these were times where Cagalli understood he was deliberately holding himself back so that he could meet her and just have a chat. She appreciated him indefinitely for it. _

_Also, fidelity seems the only way they could make their union seem more real. Few knew, and fewer blessed their marriage. At times, it was easy to forget that she was a married woman when no one around her (apart from Kira) treated her as such, that is, until Max or Marlene starts crying. _

_She inched a little to her left and gazed at her young husband. His handsome face was pensive, unreadable. And she was sure something was amiss. He had closed his eyes and was breathing quite peacefully as he clung to her, Cagalli wondered if he had fallen asleep. _

_It was when his hold tightened yearningly and possessively around her that she realized he had not._

"_Athrun?"_

"…"

"…_Is something the matter?"_

_His expression darkened fractionally, and for Cagalli who holds a PHD in Athrun-observation study, it meant that she was spot on._

"_Mind sharing?"_

_He chewed his lip, as if he did not really want to talk about it, either that or he did not really know how to._

_Then he sighed uncharacteristically._

"_What do you think of …Leonidas Fitzbane?" He questioned almost unwillingly, as if it were defiling to mention another man's name during their date._

"_Hmm? Is that new EAF leader we met at the conference last month? Him…handsome, charismatic, intelligent and rich. Every girl's dream."_

"…_Even you?" He gazed at her like a wet puppy._

_That was when Cagalli realized what to attribute Athrun's sour mood to._

_Green monster!_

_She laughed merrily, "Athrun. I know I'm always saying this, but you do realize that one of the best things that happened to me…" She cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his so she could gaze into his eyes and dropped her voice into a whisper, "…is meeting you." _

_He relented a little, but after a moment's consideration, pressed, "You said almost the best… what about the best? Meeting him?"_

_She smiled resignedly at Athrun, and hesitated as she forced herself to finish her statement. "The best thing…" He held his breath, she said._

"…_It's marrying you, silly!"_

"…_But…You didn't even want to at first…" He questioned, evidently surprised._

"_Hey, I never said 'No', and Athrun…" She chewed her lip, wondering how to explain. "You popped the question when I was eighteen. I wasn't even sure if I'll see you ever again then…"_

"_True.." He conceded, "But what made you change your mind then?"  
"Er…"_

_She gave him a mysterious, sheepish smile that sometimes drove him crazy._

"_Guess."_

The best thing…was being able to marry Athrun.

Honestly, she could not explain what she did not understand, she did not know why. Marrying him then was a rash decision, but one she never regretted and hopefully will never regret.

Then, he just started out as PLANTS's Chairman, it was like committing treason when he got down on one knee in front of her and produced a ring. It was rebellion at its best, and Cagalli simply stared like a goldfish.  
_"Will you marry me?"_

She had been surprised, shocked, delirious, angry; a little of everything all at the same time. So at that moment she did what her sanity dictates.

_She ran._

After three nearly sleepless nights of giggling into the morning, she called him and told him somewhat calmly.

"_About the question you asked me three days ago… the answer is 'okay'." _

She never told him that she was happy to the point of tearing when she held his hand and pledged to share the rest of her life with him.

_Now…her husband is dead._

Cagalli felt like she was living in a waking dream, or in other words, a nightmare. She allowed the hair-dresser and make-up artists to do their job into grooming her into the perfect bride; into a Barbie doll.

_How did things turn out this way?_

She wondered long and hard about this question in the nights she just could not close her eyes without night-maring about Leonidas raping her.

From there, things just kind of spiraled out of control, there was a little apathy, a little rebellion, a little bitterness as she chose not to act when Athrun died.

_Athrun is dead…_

She could not believe it at first, at their last meeting in space, Athrun had laid his hand on her shoulders for the last time, his hands still warm and alive. She knew in his own clumsy, shy and desperate ways, he was begging her not to go, but she hardened her heart and left him anyway.

_Now…it became all she had left of him, of his existence and warmth. His last memory of her was one of abandonment._

Then, was when Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule, deputy Chairman returned to the PLANTs. And later PLANTs held a press conference and announced that Chairman Athrun Zala had been killed. He was murdered in a mutiny in space. And as proof, Yzak produced his own uniform with generous splashes of dried blood that proved to be Athrun's after it was cross-examined by the forensic scientists from the Galatical courts, all of them confirmed that the amount was enough to cause shock and death within minutes, even if the person is a Coordinator.

And when Cagalli requested a public audience with the deputy, he refused.

But Yzak Jule came to Orb in private, and passed her something that convinced her that Athrun was indeed gone.

_She gasped when Yzak fished out a chain with the purplish pendant and their wedding rings from his pocket. Wordlessly, he placed them in her cupped, trembling hands, she could not make a sound, her chest was constricted. _

_As the weight of the necklace shattered her heart, she became acutely aware that those things had never left Athrun's person, but now rest silent and cold in her palms. It was too much, she wept._

_Yzak looked at her gravely, with something approaching guilt and pity, then left without another word. Even when she screamed and yelled questions about her husband and children in the wake of his cruel footfalls._

She lifted the necklace from around her neck now, fingering the cool, smooth surface of the metal. The two diamond rings were identical, just one big one small.

"_Will you marry me, Cagalli?"_

She squeezed her eyes shut. She had returned it back to Athrun right after their ceremony, and he took them somewhat reluctantly.

'_I can't wear it, Athrun.' _

'_I know.' He had whispered, 'But I will. Forever…'_

He's not coming back, not to her nor anyone else. He had fulfilled his end of the bargain.

"…_Till death do us part."_

The troops in space moved on from there in a very un-Athrun-like way.

Cagalli knew war, she had come to know it by tasting and experiencing it in an uncomfortably intimate manner. She had lost so many friends and family that they do not know where to start counting. But one thing she knew, Athrun did not want war.

_The troops in space are a bunch of warmongers. _

She paid careful attention to those forces, desperately searching for a trace of familiarity, hopelessly yearning for her husband to be alive, but she found none. Yet she understood, they are a force to be trifled with. Since two months ago, the heretics swept across the galaxy, waging war against the ones they called enemies, and that list includes Tad Elthman and Leonidas Fitzbane. So far, they had participated in three major battles, two against Zaft and one against EAF, and took down two space fortresses, the first one called the Siseneg.

_Most importantly, they have never lost._

In the wake of their nearly flawless victories, there will be nearly no casualties from their side, and they would raise their voices and declare.

_In the name of the Crimson Warlord!_

_T_hey are called the Crimson army. And when people spoke about them, it was not in the manner of casual banter, but of fear and apprehension of becoming their enemies.

It was chilling to find the battlefield void of life after the dust had settled. And it proved the immense, breathtaking talent of their warlord, he knew the art of war. But all that seemed insignificant to Cagalli, because he is not Athrun.

"Miss Athha." Addressed the aide, "Or should I say, Mrs Fitzbane." He gave a small smile that Cagalli did not share. "It is time."

"Very well." she pulled the veil over her face as she replied, and stood up from her bed, the rings tinkled at the movement, bouncing merrily in front of her bosoms. The maids rose with her, a hired bridesmaid took position behind her and helped her shepherd the long train of her white gown.

The aide raised an eyebrow as they walked through the corridors of the government office. The place was nearly empty; most had proceeded to the church or are positions somewhere along the trail of the procession.

"What a…special accessory." He was choosing his words carefully, and Cagalli thought it was smart, because she was in the mood of hitting something/someone.

"It's none of your business." She replied coldly, reminding him of his position.

"It may not be mine, but I am afraid it may displease the master."

Cagalli's lips curled, "Maybe that's the point."

Being openly antagonistic did not help her situation, but at least it made her feel better. _This is called winning the battle and losing the war._

She walked on and passed through the hallway that leads down to the exit, though gliding is more like the word in her current apparel. She felt like a specter that haunts these halls, like she has been doing for the last nine years. And when she passed a mirror she stopped.

_She no longer recognized herself._

The woman in the mirror was a mysterious goddess with beautiful, but sad eyes. Her shiny golden hair was set in lustrous locks like that of a mermaid and a translucent white veil trailed down her bare shoulders at the way to the small of her back, which was threaded through and functioned like a corset . Her white gown set with lace and diamond bits fanned out around her, imparting her the look of an ancient tree.

"Striking, my lady." The aide complimented as she saw her gazing at her reflection.

_How she wished that he was here to see her now…_

_Seven years ago, she was running this same path down towards the main gate after escaping from a meeting, wanting to go to an underground church that was directly beneath where Kira and Lacus was having their wedding ceremony; at the same time. She remembered stopping in front of this mirror, feeling insecure, looking at that 18-year-old girl with less curves and in a shorter and less expensive dress. She recalled wishing she knew how to do some basic makeup so she might mask the mixture of fear and happiness on her face-and the eye bags from the lack of sleep. She wished she was more shapely and more comely in mannerism and wondered whether she is pretty enough to meet him._

_She then slapped herself mentally and boarded the Akatsuki, ferrying herself to her own wedding. And by some miracle, Mana appeared at the landing facility and did her makeup while on the fly. And when she ran through the door, suddenly there was no one else but him._

_There was literally no one else, they had no guests, no well-wishes, only a blind pastor named Makio whom they could trust. But that day Athrun looked so splendid in a form-fitting dark silver suit that she forgot all else, even her lack of blusher and just stared at him. _

_And when he saw her, he smiled and gave a cute, unapologetic blush. _

_And at that moment, when she saw the look in his eyes, she knew she was beautiful._

_Their world became happy and whole._

Tears sprang to her eyes.

"Mrs Fitzbane?"

By reflex she almost snapped at the poor aide, _Stop calling me by that bastard's surname!_

She took a few deep breaths, still not looking at the aide, and managed to stay the turmoil in her heart.

_Those days would never return, he is not coming back. _She repeated the line till she felt calmer.

"Nothing." She hid her pain and replied nonchalantly as she stepped away from the mirror and resumed her way.

As she descended the marble stairs beyond the gate, cheers rose from the public who caught sight of her and the procession. Those cheers grieved her more than words can describe, whom could she share her pain with?

_Why is the world rejoicing when she was hurt inside? Why are they laughing when she was weeping? The media called her well-loved, and she often wondered where and when she will ever find it..._

Placards displaying words like 'Congrats, Lady Cagalli Yula Athha' and flowers were being thrown into her path. There was even a male underwear that Cagalli found somewhat mockingly amusing. It was obviously customized and declared in bright orange, 'I love you, Cagalli Sama'

Leonidas Fitzbane was wearing a white suit, one that is tailor to accentuate the fine male form beneath. And when he saw her, he beamed and opened the car door and invited her in.

"Come, my lovely bride."

Cagalli gave a tightlipped smile for the sake of the media, and refused to take his hand as she got into the bridal car.

Oooooo

"_Father…" Light thrilled as his daddy approached him. He went forward, clinging to his father's sleeve, wanting to make sure he was not dreaming of the visit._

"_Good boy. How are you doing?" The other man said as he patted his head, Light almost purred._

"_Great!" He replied enthusiastically, "These simulators are so much fun, they are more interesting than endless shooting!"_

"_Really? Good. Keep at it, you'll need it in the future."_

"_Yes, father." He nodded, it was anything to make his daddy notice him and maybe come more often. It was not as if he had no one else to play with, there were two people who ensured he eats and trains hard, but they refuse to talk to him beyond for instructional purposes. By contrast, his father is a warm existence in his life, one he could see, touch and feel. _

"_Come, time for your medicine. Get on the examination table and take off your shirt." _

_Light's heart skipped a beat, he froze. _

_This was the only part he hated about his father's visits. Every three months without fail, his father will inject him with something that burns with pain all the way as it cascades through his veins, and beyond that laid days of nausea, diarrhea, fever and bone aches. He got so ill that usually he could not quite stand for the first three days._

_He shook his head, no quite able to form the word, 'No.'_

"_What is it?" His father questioned good-naturely._

_The boy swallowed hard, "I..don't…"_

"_Don't what? Light, do as I say, you need it to grow faster."_

_Light jumped, heart in mouth, afraid to displease his parent. So he climbed lithely onto the examination table and did was he was told, the metal was cold against his back as he laid down gingerly._

_As usual, his father put on latex gloves, and approached him with a pre-filled syringe which contained a vile-looking red fluid. In slow motion, he swabbed Light's arm with alcohol and raised the syringe to eye level to check for bubbles. _

_Light did not want to see anymore, so he clamped his eyes shut, afraid that fear will show in his eyes, his father does not like him to be afraid. He felt restraining hands hold him down, as always. He waited for the dreadful moment, and it did come as a familiar sting to his arm._

_Then came the pain. He could feel the drug worming its way through his vessels, biting and tearing its way through without mercy. He let out a soft cry, then bit his lip as his father massaged his arm. Hands pressed him down forcefully as he started thrashing._

"_It's okay, it's okay, it'll be over after a while." _

_He stiffened further and fought the urge to curl up as the burning now reached his throat and stomach, gaining intensity. Tears sprang to his eyes as he finally screamed helplessly, willing himself to stop feeling._

"_A little more, bear with it."_

_True enough, the pain subsided after a few more minutes, the hands left his skin as he opened his eyes._

_Then came to nausea, he cough and retched dryly for a few minutes. His father gathered him in his arms and patted his back._

"_It's okay. And Light, I need you to clock at least 1000 hours on that simulator over the next three months. Can you do that?"  
It was a whooping 12 hours a day, but Light gritted his teeth and replied, "…Yes."_

"_Good boy. I'm so proud of you" He complimented, Light felt a wave of warmth surge over him. _

"_And…I will introduce you to my friend after that."_

"_Who's your friend, daddy?" He questioned, excited and curious._

"_His name is Giovanni Lacey. Kinda odd for a name, but he is rich, and you'll fight for him."_

"_Fight for him?" Light got up unsteadily, alarmed as he clung on to his father's white coat. "I don't want to be separated from you!"_

"_It's only temporary. And…there is one person you must win, likely using mobile suits or guns, and you can only fight him if you stick with Giovanni. And if you win…we'll never be separated again. I promise."_

"_Who's that?" Light asked, determined to make the promise come true. "I'll win."_

"_If you do win, you must kill him. Listen, his name is Athrun…Athrun Zala."_

He opened his eyes, lifting his gaze to the face of the man who had been observing him from beyond the bars.

"Thief." The man outside the bars accused softly.

Light smiled, and replied in the same voice and tone as the man, "So you remember now? When was Strike freedom ever yours? Who gave it to you?"

Kira's expression became stricken. And Light knew he was right, his lips curled to form a cruel sneer.

"So you don't remember. Who's the thief now?"

"You are." A crisp, clear voice replied in Kira's stead. "Because I did."

Light hid a gasp as Lacus Clyne walked in. She appeared unscratched, but was glaring at him lividly. Kira gazed at Lacus in wonder, but there was no knowing in his eyes.

_How sad, he could not remember the woman who had pledge her life and her body to him._

"Oh, dear Lacus, how arrogant. Did you forget that you didn't even recognize your husband at first, how long had I kept your pretty little head filled with lies. Mind you…it wasn't hard."

"I was deceived." She acknowledged gently. "But not anymore. And while you're held captive here, I'll never be deceived by you again."

"We'll see about that."

Kira snarled, and gripped the bars. "Who are you? Who sent you?"

"Who would tell you?" He asked in return, a sneaky smile playing by his lips.

"Face it, you've lost." Kira reminded, "You'll never touch Strike Freedom again."

"You guys cheated." Light complained, "It was that red suit that fought against me, I think the pilot isn't even human."

Kira gave a bitter laugh, "And what are you to judge who aren't human?"

Light was startled, _and the image of the syringe filled with vile red liquid came to haunt him_. He could not find a reply.

Kira and Lacus did not pursue the issue, Lacus turned to Kira, "I just boarded the ship…I need to speak to you."

Kira look surprised, he gazed at Lacus for moment.

Then he coloured, and lowered his gaze.

"Kay…"

Oooooo

As the car passed through the city of Orb, Leonidas touched her face and whispered, "You look absolutely gorgeous today, your face, your hair, your smile..."

Cagalli groaned inwardly, her plastic smile stuck to her face as she tried to hide her disgust. "Thank you." She replied stiffly. She did not have to put up an act, there was a screen between them and the driver. But she did have to smile as the procession passed by city hall.

Leonidas allowed his hand to fall, and he sighed uncharacteristically.

"Cagalli."

"What?"

"I am very happy for today…He touched her shoulder, coaxing her to look at him, "I really, really love you. And I can't believe that today, I'll be getting married to the woman of my dreams!"

"Good for you." Cagalli retorted darkly, "Maybe you should have said that before you raped that woman."

"Like I said, I did it because I love you!" He took her by the shoulders, sincerity in his gaze. She was infuriated, and snapped.

"Too bad, I don't love you. You can take anything you want, but I will never love you!"

"Why not? Cagalli! Can't you see, I have everything you want, everything you need. I can be with you, I can satisfy your needs. Anything you want, I can buy it for you. I can be there for you, not like your ex." Cagalli felt her heart contract, _to be reminded by this bastard that Athrun is gone._

Leonidas spat as he gazed balefully at the rings on her chest. "And you didn't even wear the ruby centerpiece I chose for you."

_It was poison to the soul. _

"Right…" She whispered sarcastically, "You think you're better than my husband? So…how much do you think it costs to buy back a life?" She laughed to herself, provoking him deliberately, "A thousand ruby necklaces? Can all your wealth buy even one back for me?"

He did not reply, and she did not need him to, she went on nonchalantly, acting innocent.

"Oh, you can't? Then you have nothing I need." She shook her head in sheer mockery of his inability.

Silence stretched on between the husband and wife to be. It was awkward, and weighty. It caused the air to be stale.

"Then why did you agree to marry me?" Leonidas questioned quietly, despondent.

Cagalli's hand roamed over to cover over her slightly bloated lower abdomen.

"Silly man." She chided. "Women sometimes…don't have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"…I'm with child."

_It was no lie. But Cagalli knew she had to lie the moment she found out. The saying goes as 'Hell knows no fury like a woman scorned', but the jealousy of men is not a force to be trifled with either. Leonidas could turn absolutely violent if he found out that the child was not his. And this is the only way Cagalli knew how to protect the baby and herself. _

"Child…child?" Leonidas replied in short chains, he was flabbergasted. "You're…you're pregnant, but that was just once…! And it was what…over two months ago? When did you find out?"

"On the morning I said 'yes'." She replied carefully, she was lying through her teeth, but he will not know, he cannot.

"Holy cow…you're pregnant."

"I am, but who are you calling a cow?"

"No…No, I don't mean you!" He replied, and in an instant, his expression changed.

He beamed wholeheartedly. It was an adorable, boyish expression. One that almost made Cagalli feel guilty…almost being the key word.

"I can't believe it…Cagalli, our own child…"

"…"

"I love you."

"…"

Oooooo

The door to the cell burst open, and Light looked up.

"Father…!" He thrilled, then he remembered his failure to do what he promised, and shame stopped him from going forward to meet his parent.

His father was having none of that, and smiled sneakily as he lifted a hand in invitation.

"I have something else I need you to do, come."

"Really? You're not…angry?"

"Nay, things are progressing smoothly. Come, Light."

"Yes."

Oooooo

Cagalli watched the white doves flew off one by one as they were released from the cage. _How she wished she could be one of them, and granted freedom at last, to be free to live and love and fly off to a land of happiness._ _How she wished she could fly all the way to heaven, and meet him once again..._

"Cagalli." Leonidas called her name, forcibly dragging her all the way back to earth. "…it's time to say our wedding vows."

The fat pastor before them cleared his throat, then adjusted his collar impatiently as he intoned, "Well, then. Do you, Leonidas Draconia Fitzbane wish to take Cagalli Yula Athha as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

The crowd behind them cheered wildly, Cagalli sighed, a bitter taste in her mouth. Then turned resigned back to the altar.

"And do you, Cagalli Yula Athha, take Leonidas Draconia Fitzbane as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"…I…" She was on the verge of willing the rest of her life to the man who had utterly disgraced and abused her when she stopped short. It was not intentional, it was just that her mental capacities had stopped functioning.

"Cagalli?" Leonidas hissed softly.

Cagalli did not reply, she did not know how to.

"CAGALLI!"

Cagalli snapped out of her trance, it was Mana's voice.

_But why? _

Mana did not approve of this, and when Cagalli told her about the marriage, she stomped off and never appeared again. But at this moment Cagalli felt her heart in her throat, this woman was the one who had nursed her treated her like her own daughter.

"Ma…Mana?"

"Stop, don't! He's coming!"

_It was gibberish._

"Who's coming?"

"White wings!" Someone shouted out in alarm in a distance, she paid no attention to the warning. She did not even care if she was squashed by a mobile suit right now. But the scene was like de javu, except that people started screaming as the unmistakable sound of a nuclear engine passing near became louder, it was clearly a mobile suit. The only difference was that this time the mayhem was caused by the automatic rifles that have began shooting into the sky and that her groom had shoved her behind him instead of shoving her in front like Yuna did. The guest started screaming and running off.

"What's that?"

Cagalli knew what it was, but could not believe her eyes.

White wings had descended from the sky, it glowed with light from the sun. Yet, it was not possible, the last time she saw it, it was taken by a madman with her brother's face.

Instantly she knew that Strike Freedom had come for her, even as Leonidas commanded heatedly, "Shoot it down, shoot it down!"

"NO! He's my brother!" Cagalli said as she tugged hard at Leonidas's suit, forcing him to back down. "Stop!" She sidestepped Leonidas and yelled at Strike Freedom.

"You moron! I am not going to be kidnapped from my own wedding again. Now GO AWAY!"

Strike Freedom landed, it was practiced, graceful, typical of Kira. By right, all Cagalli had to do was to run into the building and make sure Strike Freedom could not catch her, and she knew Kira would not blow up a church just to reach her, but at that moment, her pride-and her desperation-preventing her from doing just that. She stood her ground, screaming at the suit to stop. And obviously, Strike Freedom scooped her off as Mana gave her a push, and it took flight, shielding her from the stray bullets with it armour before Leonidas could react. It was then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "STOP, YOU'RE GONNA HIT HER!" Then cursed vehemently, the rest was lost to Cagalli as things drifted further and further. And for some reason, as the suit took flight. She felt as if she was lighter and lighter as well...

She looked yearningly in the direction that those doves had gone only minutes ago, and she resisted the urge to as her brother to follow the doves…

Oooooo

They stopped finally when they were in the observatory.

It was a familiar place to Kira, as his friend used to just sit here for hours when he was thinking hard or upset. It was a calming place. Tonight, the earth hovered high in the sky, its rims glowing dimly white with the light from the sun.

"Erm…Miss Clyne? What do you need to talk to me about?"

Lacus did not reply, but just studied him. The amount of emotions placed in that one look was enough to leave Kira staggering under the weight of guilt and shame. He could not meet her gaze, so he turned away.

"…Miss Clyne?" She questioned with a small, tired smile, her voice almost shaking. Suddenly Kira was aware of how slight she was, and how very weary this formidable woman was. "Since when do you call me Miss Clyne?"

He could not reply, his chest tightened.

"Kira…I…I know you may not remember…" She dropped her gaze to look at the floor, she gave a sigh that made her seem so vulnerable. "But…I'm Lacus…and…" She did not continue, she could not.

The distance between them seemed to widen with every breath.

"They told me…that I had married a popstar." Kira muttered under his breath. "But…I…I don't know…"

"Don't know…. what?" She whispered, one of her small, pale hand landed gingerly on his shoulder, it was a hand that was afraid to touch. "Kira?"

He bit his lip as he gazed helplessly at her. "But Miss Clyne…I…I don't know you…" Her aquamarine eyes widened, tears gleamed faintly, he added, "I…I don't even know myself!"

After a moment of hesitation, she nodded wordlessly, and when she turned away and closed her eyes, tears made their way down her cheeks.

Kira hid a gasp, cringing guiltily. He had made such a beautiful woman cry.

Images came to haunt him, they were images of this young woman. Of her smiling and laughing with him, and for some reason, those sent a wave of warmth right to his heart. Then there were others, ones of her quiet voice telling him that she was his, and of her insecurity and disappointments.

A shot of pain coursed through his head, he fought to steady himself.

"Kira…?" She cried, alarmed, "Are you in pain?"

He shook his head, and lied, "No."

_Kira realized that in those images, she had never cried, even if she was sad. _

"Did I do that to you? I'll…stop crying…soon." She muttered as she wiped roughly at her face, trying her best to stem the flow of tears down her face. When she realized her tears would not stop, she gave up and just covered her face as she wept, "Sorry…I'm sorry, Kira."

He took her shoulders, and led her towards the bench to settle down.

_Then there was one memory of a younger her calling out his name with tears in her eyes and enfolding him in an embrace. The memory rang out, more vivid than the rest. _

It was de javu, for then she had said the same thing she did as she held him in her arms and smiled whole-heartedly.

"_I'll stop crying soon, I'm just so happy that you're back…"_

"Lacus…"

"Yes?" She asked, concern in her eyes.

_Too bad he could not give the reply he gave back then._

"_I'm back."_

"It's alight…Everything's alright." He whispered instead.

She looked at him with those sparkling blue eyes, a little confused, "What do you mean?"

"I…don't…" He stuttered, but did not finish his sentence. Words had failed him, so he resorted to the way he knew how.

He wrapped his arms around her gently.

"…Kira?" She whispered after a moment, hope in her voice.

"I don't know you…but…my body seems to." He replied whimsically, slowly breathing in the scent of her soft pink hair. "This…seems… natural."

She gasped softly, but did not reply. And gingerly, she laid her head near his neck. And he held her shoulders.

"For some reason…when I saw you cry…I…" He bit his lip, shaking his head, "I get a little angry." He turned to her, "You're not like other girls. But…I don't even know what I'm feeling."

She nodded slightly, it was acceptance, he could feel her damp eye lashes brush the skin on his neck, leaving streaks of moisture.

"And…if I managed to get someone as wonderful as you to marry me a first time…then there's a high chance that I'll succeed a second time if you'll let me."

She smiled, he knew because he could feel her back and shoulders move a little. He smiled in return, then tilted her chin a little and coaxed her to look at him.

"You'll let me, right?" He gazed at her face, "I'll try my best…to make you fall in love with a guy like me again. Is…that enough…for you?"

She gazed deep into her eyes now, and his heart fluttered blissfully as she smiled thinly and nodded.

"I don't remember you…but…you're alive and safe, and if we still have each other…we have a future…even if we don't have a past…"

Her face fell for a moment, but she nodded all the same. "You're right, Kira…" She curled in and annealed to his chest, breathing deeply. "You're right."

He smiled, feeling warm. Lacus laid in his embrace, it felt so natural, so good. "Since you're safe, and I'm safe…and even Strike Freedom is safe. Can you stop crying now?"

She nodded. "Okay." Just as he thought she was going to fall asleep right there and then in his arms, she opened her eyes and asked.

"Do you know that Cagalli…your sister is getting married to that EAF guy?"

He nodded, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Does he know?"

Kira nodded again.

"So…is that why Strike Freedom is missing from the docking bay?"

He smiled. Lacus Clyne-aka Kira Yamato's wife _oooo, that sounded so good_, the woman whom he had supoosedly married was not only, beautiful and charming. She was smart as well.

"Yes."

Oooooo

The setting sun gave out the last aura of reds mingled with glowing threads of orange, casting haunting shades of yellows and greens onto the ground beaneath. And gradually, it sank behind the horizon in a distance, proclaiming to all creation that the day has passed and now night will reign.

All this, Cagalli observed from an altitude, her heart getting lighter with every minute in the air, as if defying gravity was the one thing humans were meant to do.

"Kira…?" She asked tentatively, "Are you …angry?"

There was no reply, Strike Freedom did not even look at her. It was then the suit started to descend, and landed on a cliff that was at the edge of a plain teeming with flowers and short shrubs, it was overlooking a lush forest beneath.

The Strike Freedom lowered her carefully on a bed of plants, and Cagalli wondered if it were intentional that she was dropped on a sea of ripened cupid's shaving brush. For when her heavy gown landed, it sent a bellow of pale-pink, fluffy things puffing into the air. Some were sticking to her skin and others were caught in her hair, but some were caught by the currents and drifted higher and higher till they were out of reach. It was beautiful, and Cagalli knew that someday, they will take root and bloom into fruits elsewhere, and start doing the same as its parent.

Tears dripped onto plants, like crystal bits, and she realized that they had fallen from her face. She crumpled on the ground wearily, not caring if she sent another puff of wind-dispersible seeds into the air, and effectively destroying her dress- her first impulse when she received it was to burn it anyway. She cried, but she did not know the reason, it was senseless, and stupid. But as all these thoughts crossed her mind, she went on crying anyway. It were as if being away from all that she hated, and all that hated her was setting her free, even if just for a moment. One day, she will have to return to those things, she will have to continue facing them and manipulating them to help her achieve her goals, it was a sacrifice she had chosen to make in order to protect those she loved.

But for now, in front of Kira, it seemed alright to cry.

Arms wrapped around her from behind, she did not even noticed when he had alighted from the cockpit, but he held her snugly, promising to hold her at least till her grief was spent.

She wondered if it were her imagination, for the embrace did not feel like Kira's. Kira was built compact, with arms that are strong and unyielding, but this pair of arms were longer and more graceful and somewhat familiar.

Cagalli's eyes snapped opened when a soft, tender kiss landed on her temple, her heart quickened its pace, panicking like a caged bird. Suddenly she knew who he was, but it was not possible.

"...A…Athrun?" She cried, her voice cracking with disbelief.

He nodded slowly, and she could feel his chin touch her bare shoulders, but did not speak, as if words were unneeded. His silence demanded the same from her, and she felt her heart in her throat. Cagalli gasped softly, and for some reason, was afraid. She held herself meekly, and trembled. She could sense the anger and resentment radiating from his tensed form, his embrace was gentle, yet possessive and fierce; as if threatening to crush her ribcage any moment.

The one holding her was not the same one whom she had babies with, this one was a dangerous and violent man; the Crimson Warlord who had brought nations to demise and had killed the innocent. His love had, by the same token, turned desperately jealous and intrinsically violent. Coming like a flood to sweep her world away, killing her softly. She knew that his embrace was not to comfort, but to destroy her…

_And the worst thing was, she will willingly let him…_

So she did just that, she leaned back and sank into his love, allowing herself to drown…

Oooooo

'Hell knows no fury like a woman scorned, but the jealousy of a man knows no bounds.'

They are finally reunited, but not in a happy way.

The next chapter will explain what happen to Yzak and Light.

I was very happy writing the part about Kira and Lacus, it was a refreshing change to write Lacus as a woman, and not a godess.

Thank you so much for being patient with me, my writing has reached a all time slow. Hope you enjoyed this chappie.

Till Chapter next.

Mingathur


	21. Chapter 21: The plague

Chapter 21: The plague

Author's words: First, someone told me he/she is lost as too many things are happening, I agree, too many OC as well. So I'll give a summary of what happened. If things are clear, scroll down to the next 'ooo'.

The story started with Athrun and Cagalli as head of state for PLANTs and Orb Union respectively on the verge of signing a peace treaty that declared these states united in the efforts against discrimination. Marlene and Maximillion are envoys of peace between the two nations. Belle, Belinda and Bethany are triplets, Athrun's secretary cum body guard cum child-care service. One day, Athrun was kidnapped, Marlene was taken as well. In the meantime, Mwu, Murrue and Spencer Gladys were in space and warned of the dangers in PLANTs.

Yzak, taking Cagalli, Kira Meyrin, Lunamaria, Shin, Shiho, Dearka as well as the triplets into space to rescue their Chairman. The night before they left, Light drugged Kira and exchanged places with him, such that he could deceive them. He succeeded in causing war between PLANTs and EAF for Spencer Gladys's attack on the EAF vessel. Lunamaria was called back to PLANTs for mourning as her father died one Janurius, and took her ship as well as Spencer with her. Shinn refused. Yzak comfronted Light, Light stole Strike Freedom.

All the while Athrun was still Aprilius, and ended up being framed for the destruction of Janurius. Later, he found out that the culprit was Tad Elthman, and he almost killed Athrun but had to fulfill his end of the bargain to the one who funded his efforts. The rich man is Giovanni Lacey, his daughter Linda Lacey is a famous reporter who is besotted with Athrun Zala. The agreement was to give her Athrun. Also, half of the council was killed on Janurius, which gave Tad a chance to reform the council and fill the vacancies with his supporters. At the same time, the Archangel met up with Yzak's crew.

In view of the chaos in PLANTs, the treaty was broken. Athrun managed to escape from Linda and the Zaft vessel with Lacus's help. Maximillion and Marlene finds out who their parents really are. Athrun ended up on an EAF vessel, where he met Nicol and Kira who had lost him memory. Nicol and Kira helped him escape death as the Zaft vessel was catching up. Miriallia went on board to report the news of the destruction of Jule estate. When Athrun woke up in the infirmary, he was disoriented, upset, and wounded, but he was finally reunited with Cagalli. Cagalli had refused to go back to Orb as she wanted to at least ensure the safety of her husband and daughter. The insistence costs her dearly, for when she finally returned to Orb, the situation had worsened, she was blamed for proposing the treaty and Orb was on the verge of joining forces with EAF to fight Zaft.

The reformed PLANTs declared the group in space as terrorist and made war against the EAF and sent out a fleet against them, a fleet that was meant for destruction as Tad simply wanted to test if the army generals will obey him. Athrun leads the forces in his weakened state to stop the two parties from killing each other and obtains the control of the fleet from Mark meets Kira on the battle field and almost kills Kira by activating Seed mode. Shinn was stunned by EAF's weapons, and captured by Lunamaria on the Corona. Athrun made a deal with Lunamaria making himself known to the Zaft forces and providing the strategy to defeat EAF's weapon. Lunamaria destroys their flagship and brings the wounded Shinn back to PLANTs. One third of the Zaft troops defected to join Athrun's troops.

Athrun nearly dies from him injuries, and met someone in his sleep whom told him about the 'Seed'. Shinn, thinking that Luna killed Athrun, starts to hate her. Meyrin made contact with Linda, and had apparently betrayed Athrun by leaking the truth of their marriage and Marlene's and Max's parentage. Yzak mourns the death of his wife and unborn child, and Shiho comforted him. Kira made a decision to stick to Athrun.

Athrun recovers, and has a meeting with the generals, joins up with Murasaki Amamiya, aka Violet, one of the Supreme Councilors. Cagalli announces her long-term engagement to Leonidas Fitzbane, head of EAF. Cagalli gets raped, but decides to go through with the deceptions to buy time. Lacus appears in PLANTs and asked Luna for help to rescue Yuli Amarfi and Shinn. Luna agrees, but wants to stay to execute vengeance. An assassination attempt on Athrun, Belle killed in the encounter. Dr Sas decoded the Log book with help from Steven Bane, Supreme Councilor. Athrun rallies the soldiers to fight. It is revealed that Tad Elthman loved Lenore Zala, giving a hint of why he hates Athrun so much.

In chapter 20, Cagalli was kidnapped from her own wedding yet again. Kira meets Lacus, Light was captured from a battle in space and the Strike freedom was recovered, but someone came and released him from the prisons, meaning there is a spy on board. Yzak returns to PLANTs with Dearka, left Shiho behind. Cagalli realizes that her husband is alive…

Now to the story…

ooo

"_**You'll always have me here…" ~Athrun Zala**_

_Yzak made sure he had placed himself right between Athrun and the end of the gun barrel, and closed his eyes as he saw the man's finger tighten over the trigger. _

_There was shouting, the ungrateful idiot behind him was shouting his name. The gorilla-man with a gun in front of him was yelling…_

_Then nothing._

_Yzak inched open his eyes, and realized that was staring at a mass of soldiers who had pounced on Xavier Cornelius and Mobius Francis had effectively swallowed him under the sheer weight of their bodies. In the mess of flailing limbs, two gunshots sounded, there was a shriek, then the gun was snatched out of his grip and caught by Captain Mark Jocose. And when he did, he started grinning, it was creepy. And Yzak realized that even Steven had joined in the fun and gave the buried man two quick punches and a vicious kick to the groin. "Take that, you pussy wuss!"_

_The beatings continued after that, the men had been subdued._

_Then he felt someone grip his arm, it was Athrun, who refused to look at him as he started to drag him away._

"_Hey, let go!" He shouted, pissed off by the irrational action. But Athrun glared at him over his shoulder, then started pulling him adamantly by the collar this time. He obliged, sensing that there was something left unsaid in his frantic actions, Athrun's hand was trembling with emotion and perhaps- rage._

_Athrun dragged him all the way to the deck, it was windy, the setting sun was red and angry, it cast a glow of orange on the ocean. Making the waves flow like liquid fire. _

_Without warning, a punch met his face; hard._

_He fell to one side, his shoulder hitting the engines, and sooner than he could react, someone grabbed his collar and punched him viciously again. _

"…_Zala?"_

_What met his exclamation was another backhand, and this time he mustered enough sense to hit back. He sent his knee flying into Athrun's side, Athrun shunned, then parried, and pushed him away. But after a few more blows the brawl ended as with all other brawls or argument he has ever had with Athrun Zala, Yzak Jule could not win; and all he could do when he realized that Athrun was going to slaughter him was to restrain his arm and look at him in the eye._

"_STOP! Are you trying to kill me?"_

_Athrun snarled, and made one more lunge for Yzak's head, it missed, Yzak locked Athrun's arms with his own and pulled him closer, growling at him. _

"_What's your problem?"_

_Athrun did not reply, but glared at Yzak._

_And Yzak gasped when he saw the tears gleaming faintly in his friend's eyes._

_The moment was short-lived, Athrun kicked his knee, forcing him to curl up on the ground, nursing his wounds. _

"…_Fricking STOP IT! Are you MAD?" He yelled at Athrun._

"…_Am I mad?" Athrun whispered quietly and looked away, it was a foreign sound, it caused the hairs on Yzak's back to rise. "Maybe…maybe I am, because someone was behaving like a complete idiot."_

"_Who's the idiot? I was trying to save you!"_

"…_Save me?"  
Athrun suddenly turned to look at him, grief was plain and heavy in his gaze. Yzak realized that he had never seen him look so old, so weary. In a small voice he said._

"_Not this way…"_

"_Make some sense before I kill you." He snarled in defiance._

_Athrun only shook his head in an infuriating manner, he swallowed hard, "…You know what I mean. Did you remember how it feels to lose someone important…?"_

_Yzak was dumbfounded as pain washed over him anew, to be reminded that the one woman he loved was murdered, the unborn baby killed. The hatred that consumed him was threatened to suffocate him. And all he could think of all this time was revenge, revenge, revenge…All he desired was power, all he wanted was murder. He had allowed anger to consume him, and fester in his soul, it was relief in contrast to coming to terms that his wife was gone._

"…_How could I forget…?" He whispered quietly as clenched his fists, his nails bit into his palms, drawing blood._

"_Belle…died for me…" Athrun whispered with finality, and suddenly Yzak understood._

"_Not you too…Not you, Yzak. Please…" Athrun shook his head, he sounded so helpless, the look on his face was utterly sorrowful._

_Yzak could not find a reply, and slowly he stood up to face his arch rival, his heart in his throat._

"…_I …don't have much more to lose…" Athrun muttered in despair. _

_With that, Athrun suddenly staggered a step forward, instinctively, Yzak rose to catch him._

"_Zala?"_

_He noticed Athrun breathing was rapid and raspy, and he clutched at his shoulder in pain. Yzak thought hard, "…You were injured by the damn gorilla."_

_Athrun laughed weakly, "The gorilla's accomplice, to be exact…" _

"_Damn it!" Yzak cursed as he saw that blood was seeping through the fabric of Athrun's uniform and through the crevice between his fingers. The wound had probably reopened and was bleeding modestly._

"_See? Who asked you to hit me…?" He muttered indignantly, as he supported Athrun and helped him to be seated with his back against the side of the gate which they passed through minutes ago. Then he took off his scarf and folded it into a wad of cloth and slapped Athrun's hand off, pressing the fabric onto the wound. Athrun grimaced as he applied pressure, he warned, "If you scream I'll tell the whole world." _

_Athrun laughed quietly in a strange, resigned manner that was so unlike himself, "I won't, not in front of you."_

"_Shut up, invalid." He snapped angrily, his insides were tight with worry. Athrun was pale, paler than usual, and his complexion was ghastly against the vibrancy of the setting sun. _

"_You're pathetic, you're always treating yourself like a piece of kitchen rag. Serves you right if you died since you seem to want it so much!" He unrolled the fabric and tied it against Athrun's wound, immobilizing his arm._

_Athrun shook his head weakly, and retorted, "…Who's the moron who tried to kill himself a few minutes ago…?"_

_Yzak was so angry he had turned speechless, and he stepped backwards. _

_He needed to restrain himself from hitting Athrun. His hands were itching for revenge, and the injuries on his person were aching, but he knew it was not fair to fight Athrun now..._

"_Imbecile…" was all he managed to say through gritted teeth, he walked towards the edge of the deck then, and stare at the ocean, hoping that the waves will calm him down._

_He wondered as well… _

_When did he begin to think that life was not worth living anymore?_

_Athrun has always been the altruistic one, and Yzak hated him for it because it made him guilty when Athrun seems to sacrifice more time, effort and sleep in order to prepare documents and speeches and strategies in handling issues big and small; and make life easier for his deputies and citizens. In a way, he was sacrificing himself every single day, few would ever know the worries of Chairman Zala when PLANTs's fate rested solely on his shoulders. Few would ever know the human behind the brave, charismatic young face of the seemingly infallible Chairman. _

_Honestly, Yzak did not want the office, because he knew then he will have to make equal, if not more sacrifices than Athrun. Sacrifices he was not willing to make. _

_So when had the roles reversed?_

_When had Athrun started fighting so hard to live while he tried so hard to die?_

_When had everything stop mattering?_

_He looked out beyond the ocean, where sea and sky met in distance, in a region that was neither night nor day but a shade of fearsome midnight. His long, silver hair whipped about his face, rioting because of the cold wind that howled around the craft._

_He closed his eyes with a sigh, then took out a Zaft dagger, and placed it near his neck. _

"…_Y…zak?" Athrun called, alarmed, and tried to stand up; but his gait was unsteady and lethargic._

"_I'm not going to kill myself!" Yzak snapped immediately, and glared at him in warning, then added forcefully. "I'm not you."_

_Athrun considered, then seem to accept the logic/insult as he settle down obediently and slumped back down on the ground, his expression spaced-out. Yzak wondered if he was thinking, or falling asleep. _

_Swiftly, he gathered his long, silver hair in a fistful and cut all of it off with one motion of the knife. The strands cleaved easily under the keen edge of the blade. Then, he held his fist out in front of him, watching the strands getting whipped about by the violent winds. _

_He sighed heavily. _

_He had kept his hair long because she loved it, but now, there was no reason to anymore…_

_Maybe it's time to let go._

_With that, he unclenched his fist, letting the strands drift off, some strands sparkling in the evening sun as the floated upwards, others fell into the ocean and disappeared._

_He only hoped that they will reach her…_

_He walked back toward Athrun, and saw that he had been watching him, though his expression was a little slack; he looked like he was about to lose consciousness._

"_Can you walk?" Yzak asked as he squatted down._

_Athrun nodded with effort. "I have to go back…"_

"_Yeah, right. Then you can faint in front of the whole army."_

_Yzak grunted impatiently as he hooked Athrun's uninjured arm over his shoulder, and helped him up. They proceeded a few steps forward like two drunken men, and by then Yzak knew what he had to do. _

"_Slowpoke." He chided as he stepped in front of Athrun and pulled his arm over his shoulder from behind. _

"_Wha…?" Athrun protested weakly._

_His person ached at various places where he had been attacked by the subject he is now piggybacking, but he ignored it and walked swiftly forward. _

_It happened in the past too, once…just once. _

_Athrun doesn't know, and he will never find out. The same thing happened during their final exam in the military academy. When Yzak had been unpleasantly surprised to discover that the reason he kept winning that day was due to a stupid fever that had possessed his rival. It got more serious as the day progressed, and by the time it was the final physical exam- the 42.195km full marathon- Athrun was swaying a little even when he was just standing on the spot at the starting point. And at the end of the race, he collapsed-right after crossing the finishing line first in the cohort with Yzak trailing a few metes behind him._

_In actual fact, Yzak might have been able to overtake Athrun, but for some reason, staying a few meters behind him felt like the right thing to do, it wasn't an easy feat to have to keep up with Athrun, who is unusually fit. But it wasn't honourable to take advantage of a fever either…so he didn't. _

_Also, it gave the then seventeen year-old Yzak a chance to leer at his rival's girl-like, unconscious face and poke him for a few moments. Then, when he realized that Athrun was indeed out cold and his forehead alarmingly hot, he panicked. And he finally cursed out loud when the first-aider who finally approached them was a small-sized, fourteen-year-old punk. _

_Yzak barked the boy off, and slung Athrun over his shoulders; cursing his luck all the way back to the first-aid tent. _

_Now, Yzak could feel warmth liquid spreading slowly over his upper back, meaning the blood was beginning to stain his uniform. Athrun slumped against him, still conscious, but nearly senseless. He quickened his pace._

_A small, bitter smile played about his lips. Weird, how he hated and wanted to help this guy all at the same time… _

"_Zala."_

"…_Hmm…?"_

"_That was a good speech."_

_Athrun swallowed briefly. "…Thanks."_

"…"

"_Zala." Yzak implored, and forced himself to say, "…Athrun."_

_Yzak could sense the surprise from Athrun, who had never heard Yzak call him by name. _

_Till now._

_Yzak took a deep breath._

"_Do you trust me?"_

_Athrun got up a little, and seemed to ruminate on the question for a while._

_Then, he felt Athrun nod slightly, and in a small voice he declared beside his ear. _

"…_With my life."_

_The statement warmed him right to the heart, and Yzak allowed himself a bitter smile, he knew Athrun could not possibly see._

'_Maybe you shouldn't…' He thought privately._

"_Y…zak…?"_

"…_I'm going back to PLANTs."_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were in the office past midnight.

"You did not honour your end of the bargain, Tad." Giovanni Lacey muttered.

Tad Elthman merely smiled thinly. "I did, I sent your daughter's crush on a romantic cruise into space with her. But she was the one who let him escape. And now he's dead." He turned towards Giovanni, "I think I fulfilled it. My friend, I believe it is you who has some work to do in that aspect."

"Oh?"

"I am grateful for the disposal of the council members. But the bargain chip was a ship with the same specifications as the Corona. It's two weeks overdue."

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary…" Giovanni Lacey said as he looked out of the window at a distance.

Tad Elthman kept his smile in place, "And why not?"

"Chairman Elthman, I think I have given you enough. Think about it, without my agents and my technology you could not have gotten Janurius destroyed at the exact moment the Councilors are there, and laying the blame on the young Zala. You could not have decimated young Zala's fleet in space and succeed in manipulating Spencer Gladys."

"I understand." Tad interrupted impatiently. He did not need anyone reminding of his inability, and he has enough on his mind with the Crimson army at their doorstep.

"But your agents foiled my plans as well, with the Jule's property destroyed, I have no cheek to ask Ezaria to remain with me."

"That was…hmm, young people and their personal vendetta. Well, at least you have little Jule with you." He replied with a trace of smile. "And, you don't have to worry…Haven't you realized? Ezaria Jule is…committed."

"What do you mean?" Tad asked genuinely, it was interesting.

Giovanni Lacey merely laughed without looking at him, "Oh, so you're the slow kind."

"What?"

"She's in love with you, my friend."

"What?"

"Women in love turn stupid and forgiving. That's why she's still backing you even though you never asked, even after suspecting that you killed her son's wife and her grandson. Never noticed how she looks at you?"

Tad Elthman frowned, it was unexpected, and absurd. But the more he recalled, the more it seemed possible.

_Ezaria is…more than a friend, and sometimes she was just something else. He never realized how much he depended on her, and vice-versa._

"And you know why I'm telling you all this?" Giovanni suddenly asked.

"No, why?" Tad asked, amused.

"Because I want you to remember how these people mattered to you. I think I'll be in-charged from now."

"…What do you mean?" Tad asked slowly.

"Exactly what I said…" He replied as he smiled sinisterly.

"Gio…?"

Someone knocked, and Yzak's voice sounded through the door.

"May I enter? I need a word."

"Here comes little Jule!" Giovanni thrilled. "You better go take care of your latest, most useful conquest, I need to go."

Tad gave him an amused look, "Little Zala, little Jule…They're not little anymore, you know." Then answered, "Yes, come in, please."

Yzak Jule opened the door, and gave Giovanni Lacey a little nod as he saw the man. But as Yzak was walking towards Tad Elthman's desk, his eyes never left Giovanni and was studying him with a narrowed gaze.

Giovanni smile, _smart children are so much fun…_

And they approached each other, the moment their shoulders brushed past, Giovanni Lacey decided to drop a little message that will make things more interesting. Without moving his lips he told Yzak something…

_That man killed your wife…_

Oooooo

When Athrun came down to earth, he was not sure what he should feel…

_Cagalli was going to marry Leonidas Fitzbane. Their Union was widely publicized and celebrated nationwide for the last two months. And to see Cagalli smiling in those magazines was nearly too much, he almost went crazy as he tore those pages. He wanted to close himself away so that he did not need to see or hear about the matter, but they plagued his thoughts and haunted him in his dreams. Not one waking moment past without him being tormented by thoughts of Cagalli being with that man. _

_The worst part was that he was not sure if Cagalli wanted it, or otherwise. Royal marriages take a lot of preparation and in effect, diverted attention away from killing the Halflings for three months or so. The marriage will also bring Orb into union with EAF to fight against PLANTs, but was that what she had in mind?_

…_Does she still love him? _

The Strike Freedom descended through the ozone layer, the whole suit was shaking from the friction and intense heat the as the air rushing by clawed against the surface of the suit, causing sparks to form, and the suit left a trail of gold as it passed.

Absentmindedly, he patted the suit's controls like he would a puppy. The Strike Freedom was performing superbly, and he knew why Kira liked it. It had mobility and ease of control that the Infinite Justice does not have, obviously; it was customized by Kira, but beyond that, it was his perfect cover.

_Athrun Zala was supposed to be a dead man, but he wanted- needed to see Cagalli before he goes mad for good._

Then, he had bled all over Yzak's uniform, and by the time he awakened, Yzak had gone back to PLANTs with Dearka in tow, and had oddly enough, left Shiho behind. Still, he wondered if he was dreaming when his friend-rival had asked him, _"Do you trust me?"_

Saspuri was the one who reported to him that he did something 'clever' to Yzak's uniform to make the blood seem like a lot more. Athrun could not guess what, but was glad for the intervention. If Athrun was dead, Tad Elthman will not be on his guard, it will help to buy enough time to sashay across the galaxy. After indeed that time was much needed.

The last three months had been traumatic, difficult and tedious.

First, Yzak had by some means, taken his wedding rings from him without his permission. He did not know why, but in a way it was a relief to be less reminded of her possible betrayal and concentrate on what he had to do. Yet, at times when his hand reached for his empty neck, he missed them; _or more accurately, he missed her._

Over the last three months, he had been busy. He had been busy killing soldiers in space and amassing more forces and resources and power. Honestly, he wondered why he was so busy. Normally, battles will be over within hours, and it seemed that two months is a really long time to spend on three battles. It was the planning that took hours upon hours of meditation and careful consideration, he would pour out his plans to no one, and ruminate over them a gazillion times in his head before he instructs, ironing out the kinks and weeding out the flaws with his advisors to ensure that they would be smooth. And each key person will only know part of the entire picture so that they will never be intercepted. And if intercepted, never completely destroyed.

Violet calls him a poet, she merely shrugged when he asked why.

_Thinking of fighting kept his mind off her, but deep inside he also wondered. Was it because he was busy, so he thought of her less? Or that he forced himself to think about fighting, so that he would have less time to think of her…?_

It was pathetic to be in such a state of mind, but he did not have to luxury of staying in that phase for long. For soon after, the fighting gradually consumed him. The first raid in space, for example, was tricky one, because Athrun needed them to win with an astounding victory that will make the world notice and take them seriously. The price of that victory was paid in blood and sweat, he had ordered, on the first day he was in-charged, to double the training each soldier was receiving; and he joined them in pumping iron. Resultantly, the treadmills and simulators were always occupied, even at the wee hours in the morning, with soldiers fighting against the computers and each other.

The kitchen staff went into overdrive as well, with longer waking hours and more energy expended; the need to procure enough resources to feed the army arose. And it was with great displeasure Athrun realized how much it took to keep an army; even an army that is not getting paid.

So, they detoured, raiding the supply ships going between PLANTs, earth and the satellites, and in those raids, Athrun ensured no one was hurt. They needed victory, but it need not come at the price of innocent blood. On the other hand, the blood and sweat poured into this escapade bonded the soldiers closer than Athrun ever thought possible, they were few, but they were united.

In the battlefield, he felt heartache; he knew he was fighting his own motherland, his own people, but never thought it would be too terrible to bear when the moment materialized. And he knew the commander of the Zaft fleet had been one of the best generals he had ever had. Athrun knew him personally, close enough to dissect his mind and predict his strategies. But he had to kill enough of them to make them see that they meant business, so he fought to kill while hidden behind the mask of _Infinite Justice_. And by the time they were done, the battlefield had been razed to the ground, their commander was fatally wounded, the few survivors scrambling back to their home with tails between their legs. He was torn, for some reason the victory pained him more than words could describe, yet he was also glad that his planning minimized the casualties to nearly nil…

The soldiers celebrated through the night with beer and roasted lamb ribs, but through the mess of rowdiness and people trying to touch and congratulate some part of him, he noticed a little corner where a few soldiers wept. And when he finally withdrew to his room way after midnight, he became one of them.

_He was so heartbroken and lonely, but who could understand his pain? Whom could he share his sorrow with? There was no joy in bloodshed, yet he had given himself over to be possessed by violence. It was disgusting, all he had done, what he had accomplished. His guilt overwhelmed him...He hated himself for winning, but he could tell no one. Not even Kira or Meyrin. He needed to play his role well as the head of the rally; he needed his men to trust the resolution he was supposed to have... _

Then came the second battle with Zaft forces, Athrun forced himself to concentrate; to harden his heart. He will destroy the entire fleet if they refused to yield, just like the last time. But the real test came when Ramius came to him the night before and literally begged him not to hurt Spencer Gladys. It seemed easier to face an infantry of mobile suits than to have her bow so low.

"_I can't promise something like that, but I'll try. I'm sorry…"_

_He knew he could never forget the look of disappointment Ramius gave him._

Fortunately for him, his forces, heartened by their first victory, fought fiercer than ever. Athrun fought Light Yagami, and soon he entered seed mode, and by some miracle, emerged victorious, it were as if an unknown force had possessed him. And…he met the dark creature of his dreams once again in the middle of the battle. It was a pretty vivd illusion, and when he came to his senses, he managed to KO Light Yagami as well to recapture Strike Freedom. This means that he will once again have Kira by his side on the battlefield from that point forth.

The Corona and Spencer Gladys appeared as well, but were led astray by his baiting party before the battle began and could not get back in time. And by the end of the battle, he was able to issue ultimatum to Zaft telling them that the next time they fight, it will definitely be the last.

It was a little of a relief, because he knew, after that, there will be no more. The third came only two weeks ago, the battle against EAF to conquer Siseneg. It was a place of interest as the dairy that predicted the events occurring in space was found there, and somehow, Athrun found that venue calling out to him. It was literally a walkover, their leader was getting ready to get married somewhere else on earth and their general was a smart man, but could not hold a candle against the Crimson army, and the whole battalion expired in space.

Athrun went down to the field himself, and fought like a madmen, once again meeting the dark creature, expending his frustrations against Leonidas Fitzbane all on that enemy. The possession took hold of him stronger than before. It was over all too quickly. Though casualties were few on his side, Steven Bane and Mark Jocose were both incapacitated. The good thing was Nicol appeared, very much alive and joined him. Athrun was so immensely relieved as Nicol could have been killed by his troops unknowingly.

_That night, Dr Sas came, walking in and looking as if someone had died. _

"_Athrun… I need to talk to you."_

_Athrun did not respond for a time, he was too fatigued, too tired to even talk. Then slowly whispered in what he hoped was a calm and collected voice, "I thought so…it's about the 'seed', isn't it."_

"_So, you've noticed…"_

"_What is it…?" He questioned, he was more curious than tired._

"_I can't explain it, just as I can't explain the 'Seed' mode. But I believe that you understand its demands on the physical body by now."_

_He nodded solemnly as perspiration dripped off his chin, and the dull ache in his chest intensified. "How could I not...?" He mused, "Let's get straight to the point, how much more time do I have?"_

_Dr Sas gave an answered that scared him._

He opened his eyes.

The woman he loves was nested snugly in his arms, still sleeping. They were still on the flowerfield overlooking the forest, wearing nothing but their birthday suits. His leather coat lay beneath them, Cagalli's dress above.

_The white had covered over the red_…

Last night was totally indescribable, if had to say something about it, the closest would have been 'Woop-dee-doop'.

At this point he held his wife close to himself, comforted by the feel and the scent of her, he combed through her golden curls. His heart felt warm, but he could not bring himself to smile.

_This might be the last time_…

_He had been all ready to deal out punishment to anyone who betrayed him, he had killed so many already in the last three months that one more did not seem to make a difference. But the notion of her betrayal all but dissipated the moment he stepped out of the suit and saw her slumped in the middle of the bed of flowers, weeping in the setting sun._

Cagalli doesn't cry, she may be sad, upset, disappointed and grieved, but she doesn't cry. In that aspect, only the biggest losers-sometimes maybe himself-can make her shed a tear or two. She cries when she feels inadequate, when she thinks it's her fault.

_It made him wonder hard, how could she have done anything that was her fault and cry so piteously about it? It made him angry, this time not at her, but at himself. For at that moment, he realized he had failed to protect her…_

So he wrapped himself around her and kissed her, her golden locks tickled his face teasingly, her bare shoulders felt so smooth and thin. He felt her stiffen in surprise when she realized he was not Kira…

Then came the moment of pure magic.

"A…Athrun…" She cried, her voice cracking with emotion as she called out his name once more.

Athrun nodded, and his embrace around her tightened, his heart hammering blissfully in his chest. How he missed her, how he loved the way she called his name. Then, she started trembling, as if afraid of him, his anger at himself swelled.

"Cagalli…"

She twisted in his grip and grabbed his collar roughly, and stared at his face. Something changed in her expression the moment their eyes locked.

"Why are you here?" She demanded shakily.

He was tongue-tied for a moment, the emotions churned within his chest.

"…To see you." He replied honestly.

"You've seen me now!" She replied tersely, "I mean…you're supposed to be dead! And come to think of it, you're supposed to stay dead! What were you thinking, coming here! You could have been seen!"

"I…want to see you." He replied, and it was Cagalli's turn to hesitate.

Slowly, he lifted a hand and stroked her powdered face, smudging away the dark tear tracks that were the results of eyeliner running down her face.

Unwittingly, he smiled.

"Moron!" cried Cagalli.

His smile remained, come to think of it, she was always calling him by a collection of insulting endearments that he never got down to being offended with her all his life.

She glared at him, and suddenly wriggled out of his grip and pushed him away roughly.

"Cagalli…?" He asked as he held on to her arm.

"Let go!" She yelled.

"What's the matter?" He questioned in alarmed as she trashed harder. After finding her efforts totally futile, she stopped, and looked at him lividly.

"Let go." She sneered.

"After you tell me what's wrong…" Athrun insisted, his heart in his throat.

"What's wrong…?" She asked, her eyes wide. And Athrun felt himself cringed, for some reason she looked quite deranged. "You bastard! You have the cheek to ask me what's wrong after you played dead for two months and reappear to tell me you want to see me? What 'Crimson warlord'? You hypocrite, bastard!"

Athrun shook his head wearily, he had no defense against her accusations. "…I didn't give myself that name…" In fact, it was coined from their first battle against Zaft. The survivors went back and propagated the might of the Crimson armour.

She suddenly laughed hysterically, it was a high-pitched, girlish sound that caused the fine hairs on the back of his neck to rise. "So, everything's not your fault? And what's with this?" She accused as she lifted the chain from around her neck.

"Our rings…!" Athrun exclaimed, "Where'd…"

"You're a liar as well!" She screamed as she thumped his chest with her fist-and all her considerable might. Then her eyes fell on his face again and she stopped.

"Cagalli…I didn't know, they were stol-, taken from me…"

She placed a finger to his lips, "No!…Don't say it."

She lowered her gaze, and stared blankly as she started muttering incoherently to herself, by then Athrun had turned from angry to worried to downright afraid for his wife's sanity. So he grabbed her shoulders, trying to pull her out of her own world. "Cagalli…?"

"You men are all the same, you think you have the right to do whatever you want with me…"

"No one." Athrun retorted almost immediately, Cagalli gazed at him.

"No one has the right to do anything they want to you…" He said fiercely.

"…Then what about you?" She accused softly.

It would have been better if she shouted at him, but her stare turned child-like and expressionless. "You lied, you died, then you came back to life…Do you know what I went through to accept that my husband is dead? Do you know what I feel when Yzak gave me our wedding rings?"

Athrun looked away at this point, the setting sun shone angrily with reds and oranges. Then he collected himself with a few deep breaths.

"I…thought…It didn't matter…" He whispered slowly, Cagalli glared at him all the more.

"I thought you loved him…" Even as those words left his lips, they sounded absurd.

He thought she will be as happy as she looked in those photographs. But that woman who was sitting before him right now was far from happy, if anything, she looked quite abused. And his heart ached just gazing at her.

_How he wished he could just whisk her away to a place where no one can find them, no one can hurt them…_

"I thought…you will be loved…"

"Oh, I was loved all right." She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Loved to bits, he was better than you'll ever be in bed, you know…"

"W…what?" Athrun's throat had suddenly gone dry, his hands started trembling, all rationality he had fled in that instant.

"You…slept with him?" He demanded brokenly.

"Oh yes…every night!"

He shook his heart in disbelief and uttered shakily.

"No…You're lying…!" He half-yelled, hope upon hope that it was not true, his heart ached terribly that he wished he could die, and kill that guy before he did.

She laughed again, and mocked him mercilessly, "Why should I lie about something like that? Be a man and get over it…Your wife's a whore! A WHORE" She emphasized on that last word and began to laugh hysterically, Athrun cringed, it wasn't like her at all, something was amiss. "Don't say that…!" He almost begged.

"Why can't I?" She demanded, "It's a fact! Don't you know, I'm a loose women, I sleep with whoever I like…"

"Stop it!" He shouted.

"I'm not going to stop! Make me!" She screamed back at him, daring him to retaliate. "So what? Are you going to hit me?" With that, she suddenly grabbed his hand and threatened to slap herself with it, Athrun pulled back in alarm.

"So hit me!" she glared at him.

Athrun only shook his head some more, biting his lip; his eyes were hot. The pain he was feeling was overwhelming him, rendering him speechless. He knew there was something wrong with Cagalli's testimony, he wanted to ask but could not bear to hear her call herself a prostitute anymore…

_She was worth so much so much more… _

"What has he done to you…?" He finally uttered helplessly when he found no words to express his pain. His hand touched her face-gently. His tears landed on her cheeks as he kissed her forehead. Then slowly, he gathered his wife into his arms, wanting nothing but to hold her…

Ooo

_For a few moments, Cagalli just allowed her young husband to hold her and weep for her as she stared into blank space apathically. Thinking about nothing, daring to hope for nothing, until she realized that tears were beginning to run down her face as well. The sun had set completely, bringing calmness over the land. A breeze rippled past the pastures, caressing her face._

_She was too filthy to hold, too wretched to cry for, but here he was doing both; unthinkingly, unreservedly. _

_Why is he so gentle, why is he so accepting…?_

_Why does he still love her even now? _

His gentleness was a terrible weight on her heart, yet she felt her spirit being set free. She drew shaky breath as she whispered his name, "Athrun…?"

His voice was thick as he replied, "I'm here."

She swallowed. "Go away…"

He shook his head adamantly.

"I don't deserve to have you here…" She cried softly.

He shook his head again, Cagalli sense the slightest trace of a smile, her heartbeat quickened.

"…You'll always have me here…" He whispered.

"No…!" She wanted to yell, but her voice was choked with tears, "You don't understand…"

"No, I… think I do…" He answered evenly, and Cagalli stiffened at the undertone of anger in his seemingly calm voice.

_She knew he would leave her once he understood the depths of her betrayal, she just knew it. And then she would be truly lost, truly alone; truly deserted…_

"He forced himself upon you, didn't he…?" Athrun said quietly as he drew away slightly and coaxed her to look at him. Cagalli felt the blood drain from her face. Athrun's scarred face was livid and pale as he went on darkly and mercilessly.

"That bastard raped you…didn't he?"

Cagalli felt something in her snap, and tears began to flow freely.

She shook her head, unable to form words, her defenses were incoherent. How she wished a hole will open up in the ground and swallowed her this very instant. She could not even bear to look at him.

_It was her fault, everything was her fault…_

She curled up, unable to face her lover anymore, and did the only thing she was capable of.

She cried her heart out.

She wanted so much to die, so that he would not see her shame, so that she need not taint him with her filthiness.

_This… is the end…_

But, Athrun did the unexpected.

He crushed her against him and held her tight, and whispered words that were tender and gentle and forgiving; quite like someone comforting a spooked child. He was talking so quickly that Cagalli could not catch the first part, but she knew more tears flowed down her face.

Then he began to kiss her face and neck and seemingly everywhere he could reach, his lips were hot and soft. A fire began to build in the depths of her body, igniting the desire to touch. Finally, she reached to hold him back, to melt into his embrace. She was afraid as well, at some point, she realized that both of them had slid to the ground, their bodies intertwined like vines. His hardness against her softness.

"What are you doing…?" She demanded half-heartedly as he crouched over her.

Athrun's instant reply made her heartbeat hasten its pace.

"I'm going to make you forget him."

_The wild fire began spreading as he renewed his assault, its light radiating, cleansing by its pure, iridescent quality… _

It was not like usual, his advances were generally practiced, smooth and passionate. But there was a new element to it this day, Cagalli did not know how to address it as she fell back against the long, thick coat which he had laid down for her and his fingers began to undo her clothing, gliding into the space between her dress and her person. While he worked, his lips never stopped, he kissed her hungrily, in a way was flattering; it was something she did not deserve.

Soon, she laid free of her heavy, white bondage; her body naked and cold against the wind. Then he came, and their bodies melded against each others, easing the urgency. She gazed at him as he looked back, their eyes locked, and her heartbeat hastened as she saw the wild desire in his beautiful green eyes. She almost panicked as her rapist's face flashed past in her mind's eye, and her body shivered just thinking of the last encounter that had left her body sore and filthy.

Athrun idly let his hand fall to her temple, as if telling her, 'I won't if you don't want me to, I'll wait."

His sincerity touched her heart, softening her reservations. Suddenly she realized that she had someone she could trust, whom she could safely give her all to, whom will be gentle with her. Slowly, she reached to touch her young husband's tired, careworn face, realizing that he was leaner than before. He pressed his large, warm palm over her hand, and grinned in a boyish way, like a little one meekly asking for permission.

Her face was wet, but she nodded.

_The fire burned on; warm, healing and holy. _

She knew she was crying throughout, but her tears held a different meaning.

_It was the day she had a revelation of Athrun's love for her…_

Odd, how it was so painful to have him take her once more; even the little of her that was still left to give. The pain pulsated and cleansed, raging like liquid fire. She held on to him as he held her back, she relinquished the warmth that radiated off his hot skin and the exhilarating, masculine scent of his body. Her hands stroked down the toned, defined musculature on his back and waist.

He was faster, more passionate and naughtier than ever before. Tonight she knew he no longer held back, the need was too great, and she was grateful for it.

_She wanted to remember nothing but him… _

"Athrun…"

He gave a paused to whatever mischief he had been up to, and gazed at her, the look he gave her was positively sultry.

She smiled through her tears.

"I love you…"

The look on his face was indescribable.

_He probably knew that she had always loved him, but somehow, there was magic in her confession._

"Thank you for coming for me…" The rest was lost as he kissed her, she kissed back, holding his head towards herself. Somehow it feels as if she had possessed him, and he had willingly let her…

Under the moonlight and the stars that twinkled in the clear night sky, the lovers knew each other, and two became one…

Ooo

"You're…Shinn, right? I'm…" Kira muttered shyly as he extended a hand in greeting, Shinn merely eyed him coldly.

"Hello, 'I am Kira Yamato.'" He anticipated in mimicry of Kira's mannerisms, then slapped Kira's hand away, "Grow some balls, man. It's not as if you don't know who I am…" He snapped and stomped off.

Kira startled, gazing at him abandoned hand, and decided that he really did not quite like the red-eyed man.

"Erm, we managed to escape by working together…But that's Shinn Asuka for you…" Lacus comforted, Kira did not fail to catch the undertone of amusement in her voice, "That's the easy part, now…as for Councilor Amarfi…" She trailed off at this point, pursing her lips.

"Lacus…Don't you want me to meet him as well?"

"I do…but in his current state…"

"Current state?" Kira questioned, intrigued.

Lacus's beautiful features darkened fractionally. "I think…maybe we should wait for Athrun to get back."

"Why?" Kira questioned in spite of himself, he was not all too eager to meet this Amarfi person, but Lacus's words seemed to suggest that there was something Athurn could do that he could not, and it caused a sour feeling in his chest.

Lacus gazed at him.

"We…should wait." She said with finality, and Kira accepted it even when no explanation was given, her tone scared him.

"Okay…but…what happened to Mr Amarfi?"

Lacus squeezed out a smile.

"You'll see…"

ooo

"What?" Tad Elthman exclaimed over the phone, "What do you mean by endemic?"

"Like I said..." The head of Microbiology research told him, "We don't know what organism it is, but it seems to infect only Coordinators and is extremely virulent."

"Tell me more about it." Tad Elthman forced himself to sit down and demanded information from the scientist.

"By genetic profile it is similar to that of the EBV, the Epstein-Barr virus, so far we are calling it the X21 virus, because there are 21 base-pairs that are different from the EBV that makes it so lethal, its virulence is about 100 times that of EBV and the symptoms are far more severe. Those who are infected can develop maglinancies in the span of weeks and go into sepsis in the matter of hours. Just as HIV go for a certain kind of cell in the human body to reproduce itself, this virus goes for reticulocytes, and..."

"What sites?" tad Elthman interrupted, he was a politician, not some doctor.

"Oh, pardon me, I meant the red blood cells. Sooner or later the virus will manifest itself in the hemopoietic stem cells and..."

"You lost me." Tad Elthman said coldly, interrupting a second time, "Don't waste my time, summarize."

"Fine! Its a virus that can cause a disease that no Coordinator ever used to get, and our hospitals are not eqquipped to handle it because our doctors haven't seen it before! The patients who presented with signs such as pallor, low blood counts, suspected metastasis or febrile fits have been isolated, among the 47 patients all over Aprilius, more than half has died. I have two doctors and one nurse in the ICU now, dying from constant fits that are frying their brains! Two more patients are admitted today for similar reasons, we don't know how far it has spread, I'm just requesting to declare a state of emergency. To hell with the Crimson army! We have bigger problems here!"

By now, Tad Elthman had been rendered speechless. His mind was blank, but he did recall something from his years in elementary school about something that only Naturals will get but will never inflict the Coordinators because of superior genetic makeup.

_Now...What is that word that was the same as the crab-shaped constellation... ?_

"Oh, crap..." He breathed out, "It's cancer..."

"Yes, sir, cancer."

oooooo

Chapter 21! I'm so bz! Pls, r & r!

Yours

Mingathur


	22. Chapter 22: To love is to hate

Chapter 22: To love is to hate

_Cagalli opened her eyes and a young man's face gradually came into focus. __She realized that she was curled up across his lap in the cozy interior of a cockpit, dressed in a leather coat that was heavy and warm.  
_

_It was the first face she wanted to see when her dream ended.  
_

_They were airborne; she could feel the smoothness of the suit's flight as it glided almost effortlessly through the air. It was quiet, and the only sounds were the homing of the engine, and his breaths and his heartbeat through his shirt. She curled up comfortably, burrowing deeper into his chest, he smelled of freshly mowed grass and fragrant soil, it was a soothing scent._

_She reached a hand and gingerly touched his face._

_He started a little, and turned to gaze at her, the look in his eyes were infinitely tender.  
"You're awake." He acknowledged softly.  
"I'm awake." She repeated, and paused, unable to tell him what she really needed to say because it seemed so cruel._

_I need to leave.  
"Where are we going...?" she asked instead, buying herself time.  
"We are approaching Orbian airspace. And also an oligravity point..."  
Cagalli understood, there are two choices, two paths to take, and he was giving her the choice. _

_To return to Orb, or to follow him to space.  
She almost cried, but bit her lip and blinked back her tears. She curled up further, and grabbed the leather coat that she was wearing, his leather coat. He had probably put on for her.  
The temptation was almost too great to bear, she missed her children badly, and her brother and her best friend. But what awaited her back in her motherland was chaos, hypocrisy and heartache..._

_"Bring me back to Orb."  
Athrun made no visible response, but breathed deeply, once in, once out. Then gazed at her with pain in his eyes._

_"Why?"  
She anticipated the question, but did not have an answer.  
"I have to." She answered simply, "I have to return."  
"Return to who?" He asked, in disgust he added. "Your rapist?"  
"You know it's Orb I have to return to!" she cried in protest, her shame did not allow otherwise.  
"Does it matter if you returned?" He paused, before asking quietly._

_She gazed at him, quite unable to believe that she could caused her husband so much pain. And instantly she knew he would not let her leave him, they were too tightly bonded, too closely linked. Too much in love.  
She had to make him leave...  
The revelation caused tears in her eyes, because she knew the only way to make him let her go...was to break his heart._

_"I'll tell you why I have to go back..." she whispered in his ear, and took a deep breath, ready to deceive him._

_"I am carrying his child."  
Athrun green eyes widened, and held his breath.  
The expression on his face almost brought a fresh bout of tears to her eyes, but she fortified her facade of calmness, and continued spinning her web of deceit. "I have to go back, for the baby." She paused for effect._

_"It cannot be without a father..."  
_

_Athrun shook his head tiredly, begging her not to say more, and she thought she saw gleam of tears in his eyes. _

"_Fair…I just want to tell you…Kira is safe, Yzak beat him up a little but he's okay. Lacus is back, she's perfectly fine."_

_Beyond that statement, Athrun did not speak at all, he piloted silently, and his quiet grief tore at her heart.  
_

_He allowed her to alight at the outskirts of the city, and passed her his wallet as he said, "I can send you no further."  
_

_"I don't need so much." She said as she took out enough to cab back to her house and passed it back to him. _

_He did not take it. _

_"You keep it, I haven't given you much..."  
"But..." She uttered, he silenced her with a look, and slowly, wrapped himself around her. His hold was tight and possessive, and revealed that his simplest desire was to never let her go.  
She held him back guiltily, feeling as if she had no right to do so and whispered brokenly. "I love you."_

_He nodded, it was acknowledgement, it was acceptance, it was reciprocation, and the embrace around him tightened. It felt so warm and comforting to have him so real and so close. He is her soulmate, her husband, her best friend, her heart and her strength and her soul… _

_Cagalli sighed, "I…some months ago, when I left you in space…I had this terrible feeling…I thought you were going to leave me…" She whispered, encountering the day in Leonidas Fitzbane's study, she shivered at the thought of that man._

_He stiffened a little, he knew something and he was not saying it. Cagalli pressed, "Athrun…? Is anything wrong…with you?"_

_After a few heart stopping moments, Athrun shook his head, and Cagalli felt his chin rubbing her shoulder. She nodded in relief, biting her lip. "…That's good. Please…take good care of yourself, eat well, sleep enough, don't worry about me."_

_"You too, Cagalli." He said in a low voice as he kissed her temple, and drew away, and in that instant the necklace came away from her neck. _

_She hid a gasp as she watched her husband tuck the ornament snugly into his collar, the usual hiding place. "Athrun?"  
"I'll keep this, since you can't." He said dejectedly, his face low. "…And I feel weird without it."  
"Athrun." She called as he walked back to the suit, he stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn back and face her. _

_"Forgive me…" She whispered, her voice softer than a sigh.  
He merely turned wearily to gaze at her, and once again, those mesmerizing green eyes spoke to her, even though he did not make a sound. There was such helplessness there. And Cagalli realized that there was something Athrun was not telling her…  
He shook his head, and left._

Ooo

"Athrun?" Nicol implored, and he touched Athrun's shoulder. "They said you were looking for me."  
Athrun opened his eyes slowly, and nodded in affirmation.  
"I need to visit someone sick, and I need you to come with me." He said simply as he stood up. Nicol fell into step behind him.  
"A...Athrun?" Nicol asked, "Are you alright?"  
"...I'm fine..." He replied somewhat calmly.  
"Did you manage to meet your girlfriend?"  
Athrun stopped in his tracks, and Nicol nearly collided into him, it was then he knew things were not fine. But it was too late.  
"Sorry...I shouldn't have asked." he muttered.  
"It's alright..." Athrun brushed off the apology, then repeated in a deadpan voice that was heart-breaking.

"It's alright..."

"Whom are we going to meet?" Nicol's asked instead, trying very hard to change the topic. "If it were Captain Mark… he ran out a while ago after giving me the slip."  
"He ran from you?"  
"He said he can't stand playing chess with me in the infirmary anymore...he says it's no good for health if he keeps losing. Mr Bane was discharged yesterday, says he absolutely must go look for Dr Sas or he will be 'Saspurinium' deficient..."  
"...I think 'harass' is the more accurate word." Athrun good-humouredly replied as they stopped outside a room.  
He turned to Nicol solemnly, "I think you should know… We are going to meet Supreme Councilor Yuli Amarfi."  
Nicol paused, "…You remember..."  
"Yes, I remember your request to meet the man who was supposed to be your father." Athrun looked away, "And Nicol…I'm sorry for killing your adoptive father…"

Nicol gave a pained expression, "Chairman Athrun, don't apologize for something when I haven't decided to blame you for it. After…you escaped, they did not hurt me and Kira, only locked us up. Though I think the Ragnarok did not want to leave witnesses who had seen you and the state you're in, they didn't chase us. When they decided to chase after the Corona, we ran for our lives. Me and Kira were going to be trialed in Military court, but my so-called father told Kira that if he could capture you, they will release me. But Kira could not, he left. And…they released me anyway. My father said locking me up was useless otherwise, might as well do some chores. I am… dispensable to him…I'm just a tool, a maimed and cripple tool."

"Don't say that…!" Athrun replied.

Nicol stretched out his arms towards Athrun, "I know you're one observant person. You probably can tell, these are prosthetic, and so is my left leg. I got hurt when I was like, sixteen. I can cook and clean but never be able to hold a gun or pilot. I can feed myself. Don't be so pessimistic, maybe it better this way."

Athrun gazed at him, pained, "Why?"

Nicol gazed at him, his expression tender.

"I will never... have to kill anyone…" He answered calmly.

Athrun looked away, grieved. "I'm sorry…" He said eventually.

"I said don't be." Nicol smiled at him, "My real father…?"

"He's inside now, but..."  
"But...?"  
"He hasn't spoken in weeks. Not even to Lacus or any of those who were involved in rescuing him."  
"Wha...? Why?"  
"No one knows, but from the look of his wounds..."  
"Was he tortured?" Nicol exclaimed.  
"No...the wounds appeared to be self-inflicted. "Athrun held up one hand to stall Nicol's question."You should see for yourself."

He swiped the cardkey, and keyed in the password.  
The room was a spare infirmary, and now it was brightly lit. It was empty except for a thin, shriveled-looking, middle aged man seated at the edge of one bed.

He looked like he was dreaming, except his eyes were opened. He gazed into blank space, seeing everything and nothing.  
On his arms and hands were bandages bundled thick, looking more like restraints than actual protections. There were bandages on his forehead and knees as well.  
"According to Lacus, he had been confined in a dark room completely devoid of light, sound and any form of stimulation. For how long, no one knows, but likely from the time I left PLANTs..."  
Nicol's voice was shaking. "But that's more than three months ago..."  
"It's a hypothesis...but it may be true..." Athrun replied evenly. "Humans are not meant to be left without companionship of some sort, be it a rock with a happy face drawn on it."

He turned to Nicol gravely.

"…Humans are not meant to be alone. The wounds are likely self-inflicted in his best efforts to claw out of the dungeon, all his nails had fallen off, one knee fracture and a crack in the head. He tried until he…became…like this…" Athrun swallowed, seemingly unable to continue.

Nicol's mouth had gone dry, and his anger at Tad Elthman rose. He gazed back at the man who was supposed to be his father, for some reason, he was drawn to that him.

His feet started moving on their own accord. One step, two then three and in an instant he was standing before him.

He squatted down and stared at the man's face, something was stirring at the back of his mind, it was a buzzing he could not still, a longing that could not be satiated.

_He realized he knew that man._

Time seemed to have stopped as he took in the man's appearance, though haggard and wrinkled, Nicol realized that the resemblance was too strong to deny, the man has a face that once spoke of kindness and generosity.

_His heart started thumping louder, till he could hear its frantic rhythm in his ears._

"You…are…!"He uttered blankly, his throat had gone dry.

All of a sudden, it were as if a dam broke in his mind, floods of memories came flooding back in an instant, and he felt sharp pain that radiated all the way to his ears and back. The pain was more emotional that physical, yet so vivid and agonizing that it was undeniable.

"_Nicol! NOOO!"_

_It was the sixteen year old Athrun's voice. He did not know how he knew, he just did. He knew Athrun since they were young, since way before he fell asleep unabashedly on Nicol's first piano recital when they were thirteen. His friend was crying out for him to be saved…He couldn't recall how he survived, only that he had raised his arms in vain efforts to protect himself as the blade came slicing through the cockpit. And the gigantic blade chopping his arms off cleanly as he screamed out in pain, then he passed out… _

_A living room, a beautiful home._

"_Nicol? Guess what I got you for Christmas?"_

_A kind, motherly woman with apple green hair._

"_Dear, if you buy any more baby grands, we will have to convert another guest room."_

_A tired looking man with bright eyes, the same man seated before him._

"_It's not a baby grand this time…" His mother said defensively, and she winked at her son. _

"_Don't tell me…" The man groaned, but there was a twinkle in his eyes._

"_A grand piano?" This time it was his own voice, but the pitch was high with excitement. _

"_Bingo!" The woman cried in delight._

_The man sighed, but was smiling as he gazed fondly at his son "It's about time anyway…" He place his palm on his son's head and ruffled through his apple green hair lovingly, "You're all grown up, son. Let's wait and see if you can put together a decent concert when you've grown accustomed to the grand. Who knows, maybe you can be a professional pianist someday." _

_There was such pride in the man's face that he felt like crying._

_On one cold spring evening, four boys were playing in a courtyard, he was the fifth. The silver haired one, Yzak tapped him sharply on the shoulder and stuck out his tongue at him, even though he had no front teeth. "Tag! You're it!" He took a swipe at Yzak but he only laughed haughtily and ducked behind the tree which was next to a fountain. Dearka next stood right in front of him and taunted him, "Slowpoke! Catch me if you can!" _

_He was provoked, he ran with all his might towards Dearka, who started sprinting again, back to the fountain, then someone's foot caught his ankle and Rusty shouted in triumph, "Yes!" _

_Nicol tumbled forward gracelessly and moments before he fell face first into the pool a hand caught his wrist. Before he could say 'A-hun'…both little ones had splashed into the pool._

_When Nicol's head emerged from the water, he heard Athrun cough water from his lungs and then a heavy sigh as an adult pulled both of them out by their collars, kind of like kittens being lifted by their mommies by the fold of skin around their neck. _

_He was set down gently on the grass, and his father draped one towel tenderly over Athrun, and then scowled at him as he proceeded to wipe him down with a second one. It was warm, and his hands were large and comforting as he allowed his son to cling to the towel and cry. "Daddy…Daddy!" _

"_It's alright. Rusty, Dearka, Yzak, come out please."_

_Three head popped out from various hiding places in the yard, and walked hesitantly towards Yulie Amarfi. _

"_Who played rough?" He asked evenly._

_Dearka, Yzak and Rusty looked at each other, and sniggered. Rusty's bug tooth showed._

_Yulie Amarfi was not pleased. "Athrun?"_

_Athrun curled up inside the towel, sneezed, widened his eyes and looked pointedly at Rusty. _

"_Rusty?"_

"_I didn do anyting." He denied immediately, though he could not meet the adult's eyes._

"_Apologize, for sticking a leg out tripping Nicol right in front of the fountain."_

_Rusty had tears in his eyes, and his face reddened at being caught red-handed. "Sorwy."_

_Yulie Amarfi studied him, then suddenly smiled, "Alright, it's fine so long as you know not to do dangerous things to your friends, don't cry."_

_Rusty bit his lip and nodded as Yulie Amarfi patted his shoulder gently._

"_Now the women won't be happy about this, but, who wants some fish nuggets before dinner?" He asked as he picked up Nicol and gestured for them to follow him to the kitchen. Hands went into the air along with an excited chorus, all except Athrun who wrapped himself in the towel insistently._

"_Ahun?" Nicol asked, Athrun hid himself even more._

_In a tiny voice he said, "I can't go in…"_

"_Why?" Yulie Amarfi asked as he stopped._

"_My father will be angry…"_

_Nicol gazed between Athrun and his father, wanting very much to enjoy fish nuggets, but he did not want Athrun to be scolded. Dearka stucked out his tongue merrily, then said, "Oh, he can stand out here and dry, we'll go in first and finish the nuggets!"_

"_Okay." Yulie declared, Athrun stiffened, and looked even wetter than before, but the man declared, "We are all gonna go for a refreshing, hot bath before dinner."_

_A wave of dissent from the children, "Why?"_

"_Because it's my job to get you all cleaned up for dinner anyway, and…two nuggets instead of one for the bath."_

_As everyone followed his father to the bathrooms. Nicol remembered gesturing to Athrun to come along over his father's broad shoulders. Athrun beamed heartily, and tottered along._

"Nicol!" Athrun called, and he turned to gaze at his friend's worried face.

The Athrun now looked much more handsome then cute, but there was also sadness and lines of worry etched onto his careworn face. And Nicol realized that his friend had aged too much in too short a span of time.

"Are you alright? You…seemed to be staring blankly for a while…"

"I'm fine…" He said shakily, then added. "Athrun."

Athrun studied him quietly.

"Yes. I remember now, you're Athrun…We played tag together."

Athrun frowned, but there was a slight curl playing at his lips, "We did?"

"We did. And once, we fell into the pool, and my father rescued us…"

At this point he turned to the man on the bed and took his bundled up hands in his own.

"Dad…look at me, it's me. I'm Nicol…Nicol Amarfi, your son."

No response from the older man.

"Daddy? I'm alive, please look at me. I'm alive..." He pleaded.

The older man blinked once, though his eyes were still unseeing, his hands trembled in Nicol's. "F...Father?"

When he blinked again, tears started trailing down his face.

"Ni…col?" He rasped weakly. Athrun hid a gasp, but tears started brimming in his eyes as well.

"Yes, it's me…I'm here." Nicol assured as he pressed his father's ruined hand onto his scarred cheek, "I'm here."

"Oh…Nicol…Nicol…" The man moaned piteously, his eyes roamed, and gradually found its focus on his son's face. "It's…you…I'm not dead, am I?"

"No, you are alive. So am I." He reassured, holding his father's hands. "Everything's okay, dad."

The older man nodded gravely, still trembling due to emotions, "Yes…Yes…Wait till your mother…" He muttered, then started sobbing in earnest as he curled into his son's arms, both father and child cried together, united at last.

Ooo

Athrun could bear no more, he left Nicol and his father to themselves as he retreated quietly.

_Was it like that for Cagalli, to have met him and just be thankful that he was still alive even if they cannot stay together? What was she thinking when they held each other?_

Then he realized that there was a pair of eyes trained on him.

Meyrin stood gazing at him once he stepped outside, but did not speak. It looked like she had been waiting for a while. When he started to walk away, she followed behind him stealthily. When he was about to enter his room, he did not turn to look at her as he finally questioned, "May I help you?"

She shook her head wanly, "Are you…alright?"

He smiled bitterly, and turned to face her, he felt very, very tired.

"That bad huh…" He whispered in self mockery.

"You look like you usually do." She clarified quickly, "It's just….Cagalli didn't come back with you…"

After a moment, he replied in a monotone as he leaned back on the door, and repeated. "She didn't."

"Why?"

Athrun took a deep breath, and let it out.

"She has reasons to stay there."

"…What could be more important than her husband and children? Leonidas Fitzbane?" She questioned.

"Yes, Meyrin…" He replied resignedly, hiding his displeasure, and he added quickly. "Don't judge her, we established that when I asked her to be my wife. There are priorities in life..."

"And her priority is that man?" She exclaimed, interrupting Athrun, he felt a pang of pain. "There must be something else…"

Athrun studied her for a moment, and sighed again. His voice was even softer when he next spoke, "She is now… carrying his child."

Meyrin's eyes widened at the revelation.

"The man had disgraced her, but she said… the child cannot be without a father…"

"…And do you actually believe that?" She blurted out. "Have you ever stopped to think that she may be deceiving you. She could be cheating on you…!"

Athrun could not meet her gaze, he had thought about it, but he only shook his head, begging her to stop saying things he could not bear to hear.

"I don't know who I can believe anymore…"

Meyrin gasped softly.

"What about you, Meyrin?" He whispered, "Can I believe you?"

She met his gaze calmly, trying so hard not to cry as she gazed into those tired, green eyes and she nodded. "Yes."

"Really…?" He gave a quick, insincere grin, "That's a relief…"

She chew her lip, "Is there's something…you want to ask?"

A weighted silence passed between them.

"No…But there's something I've been waiting for you to say…" He whispered in a tiny, hollow voice, he was tired of games.

She widened her eyes, and cried softly. "You knew…"

He nodded slowly, "I did…I knew you were the one who leaked the news about my marital status and the name of my wife. I knew you were corresponding with Linda Lacey..."

"How…?" Tears brimmed in her eyes.

"Ex-Chairmen make it a point to know a lot more than people want them to…" He reported vaguely. "Especially when it comes to intelligence."

"Then…why did you still allow me to stay on this ship?" She asked.

He shrugged, he did not know either.

"Maybe because I still want to believe you…Should I…should I still trust you?"

She gazed back at him with a terribly tender gaze. It was as if she knew the answer, it was as if she had always known it…

"I swear, I'll never do anything to hurt you…" She whispered with finality, and reached to take his hand, and held it. He stiffened slightly, but did not draw away.

He gazed at her, sighed wearily. "…Then I believe you."

"Thank you…" She bit her lip, "And…you don't even want to know why?"

"…I don't know how much you can reveal without putting both of us in danger."

Meyrin nodded, "You're right. He…he knew your relationship with Cagalli, and he threatened to…to kill you if I don't do as he says…" She was stammering, but she was also trying to be as soft and as comprehensible as she could be. "He may be listening, he was always listening. And…have you heard about the plague in PLANTs?"

Athrun's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened. "I have, from Dearka… Do you know what happened?"

"The media is still trying to keep it under wraps, but its spreading, I received news that it may be airborne, it's something that is never seen in PLANTs…" She said gravely.

It was very serious business, and Athrun knew he had to hasten his plans. "What happens to those who are infected? What are the casualties like?"

"So far…hundred percent death rate." Meyrin replied, "They die in matter of weeks from being infected…And Athrun, I think he may be responsible."

Athrun frowned, thinking fast. "Is he still here? On this fleet?"

Meyrin nodded hesitantly, "On this ship…"

Athrun's heartbeat quickened, but could not tell if she was speaking the truth. And he could not respond adequately to alleviate the plague either ways, but his guy he needed to identify. "Do you know who he is?"

Meyrin looked down onto the ground, "No. I've never seen him, but he is here."

"How sure are you that it's a 'he'?" He asked slowly.

She shook her head, "I can't be certain of that either, we correspond by random methods. An email, a message, a note left on my room…"

After a moment of hesitation, Athrun nodded. "…I understand, I'll try to weed it out. It's all too strange…You be careful too."

Meyrin nodded, and managed a small, shy smile, and gazed into his eyes. "Trust you to worry about me at a time like this."

"I…am always worrying." He pointed out, "According to you guys, anyway."

"Well, that's true." She laughed, attempting to inject humour into the situation, "But at least I'm on the receiving end of your worry… And Athrun…"

She took one step closer to him, and he instinctively stepped back till his shoulder blades were touching the wall.

"Don't…" She whispered softly as she held his shoulder, pleading with him. "Please trust me…Though I can never be with you, I'll always treat you like an elder brother."

He felt a pang of bitter-sweetness.

"I'll protect you, always…"

"_I'll protect you…"_

Athrun felt tears brim in his eyes.

_Cagalli…_

She had said those exact words a long time ago, she had promised that she will protect him.

_Even if he had failed to protect her…?_

He blinked the tears away before Meyrin realizes and held her further from him by the shoulders.

"Athrun…?"

He shook his head helplessly, "Sorry…"

"For what…?" She asked slowly, "Don't get me wrong…I don't expect anything from you, it's alright if you don't reciprocate…I've gone past the age of expecting fairytale endings."

It did not make him less guilty.

_The truth is, he was tempted, he wanted affection, he wanted warmth: and he despised himself for it. Because Cagalli had suffered so much more than he did…_

Meyrin seemed to sense his hesitation as she sighed, and explained in a resigned manner. "…All I want is for you to be happy."

Her honesty struck a chord in his heart.

…_But I don't deserve to be happy… _

Suddenly, the way Meyrin gazed at him became too terrible to bear. He turned to leave, but Meyrin held his hand, "Athrun…?"

"Let go…" He pleaded quietly.

"What's the matter…?" Meyrin asked, "You don't…?"

"Mr Zala." A cool voice interrupted, and Athrun was surprised and grateful.

Both of them turned, standing behind them was Violet, her appraisal cold enough to freeze up the Sahara desert.

"I have some queries that I believe needs to be addressed before the meeting later. May I speak to the warlord?" She asked, and eye-balled Meyrin, "Or is now not a convenient time?"

"Now is fine." Meyrin answered as she released Athrun's hand hurriedly, "Please don't let me get in the way."

"Thank you for letting me borrow the warlord." She acknowledge with a small nod and a patronizing smile.

"No problem." Meyrin smiled warmly in return and turned to walk down the corridor.

ooo

When she was gone for a bit, Athrun said out of the corner of his mouth, "Murasaki san."

"What?" The smile was gone from her face.

"The meeting is tomorrow."

"I know, but I can't wait till tomorrow to rescue you, can I?" She retorted smoothly.

After being tongue-tied for a moment, he sighed, "Thanks. And please stop calling me warlord, just say Athrun."

"Welcome, fine...Athrun. Now go rest."

He frowned, "Don't you want to discuss about the meeting?"

She turned and gazed at him like he was an idiot, "You look pale and clammy and tired, like you haven't had a wink in days. I can wait, but if you fall ill then we all will have to wait."

_Athrun wanted to say that he was perfectly fine, but for some reason he could not. She was right about him having difficulty sleeping, those hours were constantly plagued with nightmares and depressing thoughts. __Frankly speaking, he just wanted to sleep and forget this entire affair. By right, he should not let whatever he was going through affect the army leaders and soldiers._

_By right, he was supposed to be strong..._

"I think now is fine…" He reported, and not a moment too soon, a wave of vertigo swept over his senses. And he leaned back heavily on the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best not to puke.

"Hey…!" Violet grabbed his arm in alarm, "You okay?"

"…I'm fine." He waved her concerns off as the dizziness began to subside; he was drenched in cold sweat.

"In you go." She declared as she opened his room door and shoved him in, "Go lie down, I'll tell Mr Yamato to come back and prevent any female from stepping into this room."

It was obvious who she was particularly referring to one female, and Athrun could not help but give a small grin.

He pointed at the patch of floor she was standing on, good humouredly of course, "Aren't you female?"

"Oh, please." She assured, "I don't like younger man. Especially not pretty boys."

She said all that with such a serious and elegant expression that made him want to laugh.

"Thank you." He said again, truly grateful. It was easy to be around Violet, even when she stands there and glare at him.

She regarded him coolly, seemingly contemplating whether to say something, then she sighed in an uncharacteristic manner. Athrun was surprised, it was unlike her usual self.

"You are…" She said, paused and continued after a moment, "…really like Lenore."

The expression on her face became softer, tender even as she mentioned Athrun's mother's name. And he felt curiosity bubbling pleasantly in is stomach.

"You… knew my mother?" He asked blankly.

"It's hard to forget someone with blue hair when you've met one, it's such a rare colour." She mused, gazing at his hair. "Dr Lenore Haverlock was my project supervisor when I did my Masters. I used to hate her…"

_Lenore Haverlock…that was his mother's maiden name, Athrun was convinced that she was telling the truth, yet it was unthinkable that anyone should hate his mother; it must be hard to be offended by a lady so cheerful and gentle._

"Why?"

"She was a perfectionist, calculative, full of her ideals. Things either go her way, or the highway. We bickered a lot, but in the end…she became one of my closest friends, even though she is like six year older than me…" Violet explained, "At the same time, I've always admired her ability as one of the most renowned bioengineers in all of PLANTs. She was a brilliant scientist, but she gave it all up…"

Athrun could guess what happened next.

"And had a family…?" He said softly, looking away, it felt as if he was being accused to costing his mother her career. It was the first time he met his mother's colleague, and it was strange to hear someone talk about her as a professional, an asset of society. It feels as if he did not know this woman.

Surprisingly, Violet shook her head as she folded her arms. "Lenore was an all-out career woman, she only got married a few years after getting her PHD, which was bordering on breaking PLANTs marital laws of getting married by 30. And even when she did, she never really did care about her husband… She was always in the labs with us, her passion in tweaking the crop's DNA basepair by basepair till she found something that works. Getting married did not change her, you did."

Athrun widened his eyes. "Me…?"

"You were smaller then, like five or six, and were apparently pulled off the streets when you were sent to study on the moon."

_Athrun gasped inwardly, he remembered. It was his first encounter with Kira, as well as knives and kidnappers and hospitals..._

"Lenore dropped everything, literally everything and went to your rescue. Then she quit, just like that, and said she wanted to be a full-time mum to stay with her little one and be with her husband. We kept in contact throughout those years, but…I noticed the change in her... bit by bit. Having a family is not about precision, numbers or formulas, it's about something more…I bet she's the best mother and wife in existence."

Athrun nodded in acknowledgement, fond memories of his mother were all he had left after these years, and there were times he still missed her. There was nothing else he could say even though it was the first time he had a full appreciation of his mother's sacrifice in raising him.

"That's Lenore in a nutshell, she will be the best in anything she sets her hand to do. She was still the best when she came back seven years later. You turned out less spoilt than I expected you to be, well, maybe partially because Lenore died young. How many years has it been? Nine?"

"Ten years…" Athrun replied, his heart skipping a beat. "Ten years and five months since she passed away."

Violet was reminiscing, "And…to think that I still remember that I was still sitting next to her in the lab a few days before she died. Still full of myself and my career and my precious alloy."

"Alloy…?" Athrun asked, something was stirring at the back of his mind.

"I can't remember if it were corn or maize, but their sheaths contained components of this alloy that can be use to manufacture Stealthium."

"Stealthium?"

She smiled mysteriously, but the pride was unmistakable in her eyes. "Let me bring this closer to home, we scientist aren't much for naming things, the original suggested name was unobtainium."

"Stealthium, when mixed in certain proportions with two other metals produces something with very extraordinary properties. The entire outer armour of the Corona is made of Stealthium. Another example will be the Blitz gundam. Incredibly durable, unbelievably expensive, and indefinitely precious to weapon makers. Lenore was staying back, saying that she wants to extract enough spin-off to give it as a gift."

"She stayed back just for it…?"

_Athrun thought hard, and remembered that his mother was supposed to be back for her wedding anniversary celebration, but called back a few days before to say that she needed to stay back to work on some extraction process. _

Suddenly the revelation struck him, and he felt the world sway.

"Chairman Zala…?"

'_What do you want for your 14__th__ birthday, Athrun?'_

_He half-frowned. 'Mother…it's only February. Anything, so long as father doesn't sulk about you being on Junius so much…'_

_His mother laughed, abashed. _

'_Come on, give me a headstart.'_

'_Well…I was thinking of making something like Tori…'_

'_Oh my, did anything happen to Tori?'_

'_Nope, Kira kept it well. But I do want to try something different.'_

'_What, a Tori that can do magic tricks?'_

_He laughed, 'Maybe.'_

'_Alright, I think I'm on to something here! A pound or two will do, right?'_

'_Yes, mother. That will suffice.'_

'_Alright…and Athrun.'_

'_Yes?'_

'_May I throw in an item or two?'_

'_Hmm?'_

'_How about a pair of skinny jeans and a printed tee-shirt?'_

'…_What do I do with those?' He asked eventually, trying very hard not to laugh._

'_Jazz up your wardrobe, of course. The ladies will be scared if a thirteen year old is always wearing suits and uniforms, you know.'_

'_I thought girls like men in uniform…' He said slowly, 'Hence you married father…'_

'…' _An amused, helpless sigh._

_Then, it was because of the stealthium that his mother stayed on Junius. _

_It was because of it that his mother died._

His blood ran cold and the ground seemed to have melted away beneath his feet.

_His mother died because of him…_

"Athrun!" Kira shouted as he bashed into the room, Athrun snapped out of his trance to gaze at him.

"Kira…? Is something wrong?" He asked shakily.

"The clone escaped!" Kira cried, "I don't know how it happened! But when I went back there he was already gone!"

"What? You mean Light Yagami?" Violet asked heatedly. "How…? The only people with the access code to the prisons are the Supreme Councilors…"

"I don't know…" Kira muttered dejectedly, "But that bastard took the kids with him! I can't find them anywhere!"

It was the second blow of the day, and Athrun's mouth suddenly went dry, "The…the kids?" He questioned blankly, he could no longer think.

"He took Max and Marlene with him!"

"Why would he take the envoys…?" Violet questioned slowly, "They have no trading value."

"Well…that's…Athrun?"

"!"

"Athrun!"

_Ooo_

On earth, Cagalli examined the wallet that she had taken back with her, though it had been a week since she returned to her residence, her memory of their encounter was fresh, as if it had just happened.

When she came back, the situation had been broadcasted through all seven media stations in Orb that she had been taken by the Strike Freedom, which for some reason was associated with the heretics in space. She simply strode into her office, had a shower, changed her clothing and then went out to tell the world that she was unharmed, her brother simply wanted a chat with her.

Then she had Kisaka announce that she had been disgraced by Leonidas Fitzbane, and produced medical reports of that night as proof. She had informed Kisaka and summoned a doctor that night after she was tainted to keep a record of her injuries and all things else, it was an ace up her sleeve, which she had intended to use once their alliance proved to be unwarranted. Now she knew she no longer had to go against PLANTs, because Yzak had been sent back there.

Women had advantage when it came to cases like this. All she had to do after that was to claim that she had been afraid because he was a violent man and threaten physical violence if she told anyone.

'Her brother' had reminded her to stand up to the truth.

That threw the citizens into a frenzy and the emirs had given her week off while they tried to appease the folks from the public and media. So while she spent her days slacking and pretending she was on her bed crying because of the 'pain and emotional trauma she had to endure', Leonidas has gone into hiding with both the EAF leaders and angry citizens hot on his heels.

Her eyes settled on Athrun's wallet once more. It was unusually thick for a leather material so pliable and finely polished, and there were no marking to show the brand nor where it was made, it led her to conclude that it had been customized. She decided to do something she never thought of doing to her husband's things.

She cut it on the edge with a pair of scissors.

She gasped as she say a glean of white paper in the dark interiors of the hidden compartment. Subsequently, she emptied the contents of the wallet and saw items that made her heart grow cold.

They were basically documents, insurances schemes that stated her as the beneficiary, for her, for the kids; enough to feed them for a lifetime. Access cards to a bank vault somewhere in Switzerland, the title deed to a piece of land and a house on the moon where Athrun once lived as a child; detailed plans telling of the plague in PLANTs and what she can do about it.

She searched on, her hands quaking, looking for the reason behind why Athrun was suddenly giving her all these, proof that he would provide for her and the children.

_Athrun plans for everything, and in this case, what was he planning that would require giving her all these?_

At last, a letter; folded neatly and inserted into a tiny envelope, written in Athrun's cursive, precise penmanship. Cagalli's hands were trembling as she picked it up.

_To Cagalli, the love of my life._

ooo

Yes, this is a cliffhanger and I am unrepentant about it.

I am grateful to you guys stuck with the story so far. It will likely end within the next five chapters, all leading up to the final battle.

I always write the ending before anything else.

R & R pls!

Yours

Ming


	23. Chapter 23: The strength of my enemy

Chapter 23: The strength of my enemy

_Her hand trembled as she held Athrun's letter, suddenly afraid to open it. It seemed so fragile and tiny in her palms. There were no other markings on it except for the line of greeting, slowly, her other hand found the letter opener. _

_Then there was a sound to her left, and she startled. Then a tight slap from the right side sent her sprawling on the ground. She recovered to feel something being wrestled from her fist and the saw the blurred silhouette of a man._

"_Leo…Leonidas?" She screamed, and called out, "Guards…!" He straddled her and cupped a rough hand over her mouth, interrupting her cry for help. "Shuddup…!" He commanded harshly, "…Or I will destroy this letter."_

_She shook her head pleadingly as her hand scratched at his, she could not talk._

"_Oh, it's that precious, huh? I wonder who is it from? Let's see, is this fella the reason you betrayed me?"_

"_Don't…!"She wrenched his hand off her mouth and cried, but he redoubled his grip, this time around her throat. "Shuddup! Slut."_

_Cagalli coughed, she could not longer talk, she could no longer breathe. He threw the letter aside and used both his hands to strangle her and press her against the wall, slowly, she felt the ground leaving her feet, and the pressure around her windpipe increased. Her head started spinning as she looked pleadingly into the handsome but cruel face of Leonidas Fitzbane. He looked thinner and more rugged than when she last seen him. _

"_Leon…" She choked, and deployed her only weapon, "…the…baby…"_

_A flash of guilt crossed his features, and his grip around her neck loosened fractionally. With that she screamed and swiped the letter opener across his face. He backed off, screaming like a wounded beast and stumbled away from her. _

_She fell on the floor, getting her bearings, catching her breath as blood and fluid from the edge of her blade bled into the carpets. In the background the cries of agony didn't stop. She backed off till she was against the wall, screaming all the way, "Guards! Guards!"_

_Men in black bashed into the room, and very quickly identified the source of disturbance. _

"_Freeze!" Her head of security yelled at Leonidas Fitzbane as he pulled back the safety of his gun. Leonidas very slowly got off the floor, and Cagalli gasped when he saw his face. All that was left was a bloodied, empty socket where his right eye had been._

_He raised his hand slowly, just one; the one which held Athrun's letter._

_He was suddenly calm, like something had snapped in him. It was unnerving. _

_Then he laughed. _

"_Seize him!" Cagalli cried. The guards rushed forward but he held up the letter, as he gazed at her with his remaining eye, his one look told her he meant business. Then took out a lighter from his back pocket. _

"_If you do that, I'll never let you see this again."_

"_STOP!" Cagalli ordered this time. "Leonidas, what do you want?" She questioned, exasperated._

_An expression of utter anguish crossed his features, and he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down as he yelled, "You know what I want! YOU ALWAYS KNEW!" He paused to catch his breath from his sudden outburst, then uttered, "But you never gave it to me…"_

"_Gimme back that letter!"_

"_Is that how you beg, bitch?" He questioned haughtily as he teased the side of the letter with the lighter._

"_Don't insult Lady Cagalli…!" The head of security yelled._

"_Kennedy, No! Let me talk to him. Please." She replied, stilling her guard with a look._

"_Oh, so now we talk…?"_

"_That was from my father." She lied, crying to show her guards, impromptu. There was no way she could let anyone find out that the letter was from Athrun. "I found it in the office, I think he left it for me…Please, help me…"_

"_What would you give in exchange for it?" He asked. "Since it seems to be Lord Uzumi's property, heirloom of state."_

"…_State your price." Kennedy said slowly, gazing at Cagalli, who gave a tearful, minuscule nod._

"_My freedom, and Lady Cagalli's hand in marriage." He spoke unabashedly._

"_You're insane." Stated Kennedy with a cold, straight face._

"_Maybe." He agreed, "To believe that this woman would actually tell the truth for once. Just a safe passage home, then. Let me get out of your estate alive, and you get your precious letter back."_

_Cagalli nodded, "…Deal." Kennedy agreed, she was crossing her fingers behind her back. _

Ooo

Athrun opened his eyes, he was lying in his own bed, still clad in his uniform but without his shoes. Strangely, though the bedside clock displayed a little past 12 midnight, there was no Kira asleep in the adjacent bed beside him.

He shifted a little, and realized that his pillow was quite moist, especially at the part right beneath his temple.

Then he remembered that the last person he had been with was Violet, and then he can't remember anything else. Except that he had dreams that were as unhappy as his waking thoughts.

He sat up slowly, feeling the dead weight in his chest as he shifted, and stared straight ahead. The blank staring went on for a few minutes from there, although there was nothing to look at.

"Cagalli..." He whispered in the darkness, talking to no one. But his heartache eased a little as her name left his lips.  
"Cagalli...Cagalli, Cagalli."

He wanted to scream, but could only try to remember her face and let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry..." He uttered miserably. "I'm so sorry..."

Still, only silence greeted his apology, his voice was empty, and died in the surrounding void.

"Cagalli..."

The door slipped open, and he looked up expectedly, very much hoping to see her walking in. Very much wanting to hold her again.

It was Mark Jocose.

His hopes plunged and he looked down and gathered his hands in his lap once again.

"Captain Jocose." He acknowledged in a low voice.

The bigger man considered.

"I thought dictatorship means to hell with ranks, or I'll go back to addressing you as Chairman Zala."

Athrun nodded slowly, "Mark. Yes?"

"You collapsed, and Violet ran down the corridors looking for Dr Saspuri while Kira stayed with you. I never thought she could run so fast… you frightened her."  
Athrun made a mental note to apologize to Murasaki.

"My apologies..."

Mark went on, "She found me, there was one other person with me but you can trust him."

Athrun considered the statement, then said, "Good, the less people know, the better. "But...how... did I get here?"

Mark nodded in acknowledgement of the compliment. "I carried you."

Athrun wondered if he heard wrong, "You carried me...?" With that he sized Mark Jocose up again.

"I'm quite erm, heavy...Sorry."

"It's just 2 meters. It's nothing. I'm here to apologize as well, for letting Yagami escape and take your kids with him."

Athrun's heart skipped a beat, he did not want to deal with this. Not now…

"It's the kids. They are not quite mine, you know." He attempted a lie.

"They are your children." Mark Jocose repeated in a low voice, the utter conviction in his voice scared Athrun, then he continued in a dead-pan voice.

"You were sleep-talking…after you collapsed."

"What did I say?" Athrun questioned calmly, even though his heart was in turmoil.

"You apologized…"

Athrun could not muster a reply.

"I… had a daughter who follows me like a little duckling." He added. "Like the way Max and Marlene totter after you..." With that, a bitter smile crossed his lips, yet Athrun could only feel grief.

"Capt...Mark? You have a family?" He asked in spite of himself.

"...Had a family..." Mark Jocose corrected him gently.

"Had…?"

"...My wife and daughter were killed... on Janurius."

Athrun suddenly understood the hostility that Mark Jocose had shown him on day one, a pang of sadness washed over his heart.

_That day he was a man who had lost everything, just like Athrun._

"I am sorry to hear that..." He whispered.

"No you're not." Mark replied, it sounded harsh. "I'm tired of hearing that from you, don't be sorry. Your job is to make our enemy sorry."

Athrun bit his lip and gazed back at the other man miserably, right now he did not feel like doing anything. If he could, he didn't even want to take the next breath. He was just too tired and too scared, Violet was wrong when she said Max and Marlene had no bargaining value...because they are indeed his flesh and blood. But no one is supposed to know...

"There's a problem we have to sort out, this time, the Corona will be stationed on the frontlines, and I don't think we can use the same ruse as last time to get it out of the way. She is one vicious spaceship. There's the plague in PLANTs, the statistics released are astounding. The temporary government has declared a state of emergency. They've quarantined anyone suspected of carrying the virus on the various PLANTs. Apparently, the doctors are stumped, it's an unknown condition."

Athrun did not make any reply.

"The meeting later today. Before we have it, what's the purpose of us being on Siseneg? The journal points here and all, but now what?"

Athrun remained silent.

"You don't have to tell me your plans, just tell me why we are still here on this little satellite when I could be wringing the neck of the guy who killed my family. Elthman will not be on his guard now..."

"I don't know..." Athrun said eventually.

"Don't know what?" Mark Jocose challenged impatiently.

"I don't know anything anymore..."

Athrun felt anger radiate from Mark Jocose, he did not look up, he did not care. If he kills him, so be it.  
Surprisingly, nothing happened for the next few minutes.

Then Mark spoke, in a voice smaller and calmer than before, he was apparently reining in his anger.  
"Athrun Zala...I'm not a happy man." He sighed slowly. "I don't know what you are going through, and I don't want to know. If you want to wallow in self-pity, that's up to you too, but our forces demands that you be brilliant on it's behalf, survival first, then happiness as you can manage it. So, don't bore me with complains that you are not happy. Work is first, winning is first, for without it, there will be nothing."

Athrun felt a touch on his shoulder, he gazed up at the other man. The pools of his eyes were dark and unyielding, but held the slightest tinge of compassion.  
"When you can give me back my dead wife and daughter, you can complain about what this war has cost you..."

Athrun bit his lip, and whispered after a few seconds, "I understand."

"No, I don't think you do..." Mark sighed, "You never seem to realize that it is part of your job to be protected."

"And what's that to you...?" Athrun questioned wearily. "Why the hell should I be protected when taking down the people I love works better…? I'd rather it was me! If I'm as great as you make me sound, then just kill me and all this will end!"

"Because no one can replace you…" Mark said quietly, as a retort to Athrun's outburst. "Because you are our men's only hope. Face it, if anything happens to you now, all is lost...! You are committed to people other than your children... Since you started it, finish it."

"You're right..." Athrun muttered eventually, "You're right." He gathered himself with a few deep breaths.

"Mark…" Athrun implored, the bigger man sat up straighter, motioning for him to go on.

"Can you promise me something?"

He frowned, as if sensing that Athrun is going to ask the impossible, but said, "What is it?"

Athrun closed his eyes, and turned his face away from the other man, "Don't save me no matter what…"

Mark Jocose started, "…I… What are you saying?"

"Well…you will know." He replied evenly, "It's part of the next plan."

"Great, there's a plan, and great, you're giving me pieces of a riddle again."

Athrun nodded, then pressed, "Promise me."

"Hell." He spat in disgust, "Didn't you just hear me telling you to kill Tad Elthman?"

"If everything goes smoothly, it will be after you avenge your family." Athrun replied in a monotone, "Then I am fully dispensable… Swear it, that you will leave me and run when I tell you to. Take it as my condition for letting you direct the next mission. If you want to take revenge, you'll have to make some sacrifices."

Mark eyed him stoically, narrowed his eyes at the obvious threat sitting out there in the open, then muttered, "Fine."

Athrun widened his eyes slightly, he thought it would be harder than this, but Mark agreed with no questions asked.

Mark stood up, then surprisingly, gave a spectacularly low bow. His massive frame sank into an 'L' shape, his bald head almost touching Athrun's shoulder. "Mark…?" Athrun said, alarmed.

"I swear it by my honour. To trust and obey when the time comes." He declared gravely, then added, "…Even if it means to leave my commander for dead."

Athrun's mouth had gone dry, but he nodded in acknowledgement. Mark straightened up, and gazed at Athrun as he said in a low voice, "And…if I am still alive after the war." He paused, giving a small sigh, "I'll arrange your funeral…"

Before Athrun could respond, he went on.

"I will bury you beside late Chairman Patrick Zala and his wife."

Athrun could not find a response for a time, it was a generous offer, one that bordered on the impossible; it was what he would have wanted for himself, but something that could not possibly happen.

Then in a tiny whisper, he nodded, and said the only thing he could.

"…Thank you…"

Ooo

Silence prevailed between mother and son as they sat across the breakfast table, munching toast. It has been like that, Yzak was suspicious, Ezaria was probing her son's allegiance. The game went on for days and days to see who can make the other party reveal more, and eventually they ran out of both bait and ammunition. They had no more to say to each other.

It was pretty pathetic, in Yzak's opinion, but his mother had broke his heart and possibly participated in the murder of his wife and unborn child. When questioned, she does not acknowledge nor refute it. He felt that he had the right to ignore all she had to say till she came clean with him.

He picked up his empty plate and went to the kitchen to pass them to the maid.

"Going out already?" Ezaria questioned as he put on his shoes. Without turning, he nodded. "Wait for me, I'm heading to office too."

Yzak waited, and mother and son boarded the same car, the silence prevailed in the car as well, it was to the point where an innocent bystander-such as the driver- could swear that icicles were forming merrily on the dashboard; despite there being a sound barricade between him and his passengers.

"Yzak…" His mother implored finally, at one point. Yzak turned, sensing the breaking point, he gazed into his mother's face. He did not speak, and motioned for the older lady to go on.

"Let's stop this, we are mother and son, we have always been a team…we are a family."

"…Family doesn't murder each other…" He replied quietly.

"A family forgives." She pleaded.

He shook his head, exasperated. "Do you really think you have the right to lecture me about what a family is…?" He paused, and collected himself, then said through gritted teeth.

"You knew…you knew about the coup, you knew of Tad Elthman's plans, you knew he was after the Chairmanship, you knew he wanted to kill Athrun. But you never did anything about it, you allowed him to...That man killed 20 000 innocent citizens on Janurius, he killed Athrun, he killed Sedna and my little boy…And you are still sticking up for him. Tell me…how do you expect me to forgive?"

"What I expect, is for you to trust me." She retorted coldly.

"Trust you?" He exclaimed, "Ridiculous, you won't tell me anything."

"I'm doing all these for your own good!" She yelled, her temples fraying, she threw her hands up in the air. "Ah, forget it, you wouldn't understand."

"My good?" He retorted. "If things are really good I'll be a father by now, and PLANTs would have chosen a new Chairman properly and nobody would have died."

"Precisely, the new Chairman would not have been you. Have you no pride? You are always there standing behind Athrun Zala like a loser! We are Jules, we bow to no one. All I'm doing is to ensure that you have a bright future!"

Yzak was shocked, and he stuttered, his voice has nearly deserted him.

"Is that the reason why…you are doing all these?"

Ezaria glared back at him, he could only shake his head brokenly. The car stopped in front of the Istana.

"You're unbelievable." He said shakily as he stood up and got out.

"Stop right there! Yzak Jule! Get back here and finish this conversation!" She commandeered,

He snapped back, "You have no right to tell me that!"

She looked surprised for a moment, as if someone had slapped her, "All that is proof that you have grown soft! Listen! You will become…!"

"I don't want to become anything!" He shouted, interrupting her. "All that I am today was because of what you wanted me to become! But mother…I am no longer a little boy! It's my life! You know what I really want to do? If everything went well back then I had intended to step down from council and start a business. I had it all planned out with Lacus and a few others, I wanted to spend more time with my family…"

Then he bit his lip, and in a tiny voice he added quietly, "…With you…".

The expression on Ezaria's face was indescribable, and for some reason, his mother had never looked so old.

"I thought maybe…if I worked harder, you can stop working so hard…"

His mother only gazed at him, quite speechless, he gazed back, "If you want the Chairmanship so much, go fight for it! Don't come here and kill the people I love then tell me it's all my fault!"

"…You don't understand anything!" She shouted in return, but Yzak walked on, "So everything is my fault? If you hate me so much, why don't you kill me now?"

Yzak stopped in his tracks, and Ezaria paled marginally as he turned back.

"I won't…" He said quietly, "I won't stoop to your level…I won't murder family."

Her face was white with anger.

"Goodbye, mother."

Ooo

"_Athrun…!" Kira never knew he could react so quickly, and silently thank the Creator for making him a Coordinator as he rushed to his friend's side, and caught him before he hits the floor. Violet stood rooted to the spot as he patted Athrun's face and shook his shoulder, "Come on, wake up!". Kira gasped a little when he touched his neck, his skin was cold to the touch, and peppered with cold sweat._

"_Yamato san, is he…?" Violet asked shakily, he understood that she's in a state of shock. "He's alright…" Kira reassured, half to himself as he checked Athrun's pulse and breathing, both were present. His breathing was shallow but steady. The unearthly chill extended to the rest of his person, but otherwise he did not appear to be in pain. In fact, if one did not know what happened; one would have thought he was sleeping._

"_Murasaki san, go get Dr Sas, please." Kira requested, fighting to keep fear from his voice._

"…_!" Her eyes widened as she seemed to snap out of her trance, then nodded uncertainly, "O..okay."_

_About ten seconds after she ran out, there seemed to be a hassle down the corridor, and Mark Jocose came in. "Help me move him…" Kira asked, the bigger man nodded, and after ensuring that there were no injuries on Athrun's person, he gathered Athrun off the floor in a seemingly effortless manner, and gently set him down on the nearest bedding. _

"_Thank you." He said, grateful. His heartbeat finally slowing._

"_What happened?" The captain asked curtly, and Kira could only shake his head. "I was at the bridge, and suddenly one of the launch chutes got blown open and a mobile suit flew out. Then we realized that Yagami had escaped and taken the kids with him, Lacus dared not fire. He escaped, so I came to tell Athrun and…and…" He could not go on. The moment was punctuated as Athrun muttered something, Kira wasn't paying attention and hence could not catch the exact words, but his heart went cold anyway, for it sounded like, '...I'm sorry…' _

_After they had tucked Athrun in and Dr Sas shooed everyone out to examine his patient, Kira sat down in the chair beside the old man. _

"_Dr Sasupri. Tell me." He asked, heart in mouth._

_Dr Sas was apparently looking for wounds, and did not look up as he asked. "Tell you about what?"_

"_About Athrun."_

"_Well…strange question coming from a best friend…" Dr Saspuri replied uncertainly as he took a syringe from the med-kit beside him and disinfected a small patch of skin on Athrun's arm, "Well, he's male, has blue hair and green eyes and is turning 25 in a few week's time…"_

"_You know that's not what I'm asking." Kira snapped impatiently, his insides tight with worry. _

_Dr Sas did not reply for an infuriatingly long period, Kira looked on as he withdrew a small vial of blood and set it aside. Eventually, the older man sighed, "I know…I know what you are asking, but general Yamato, please realize that I am not in a position to divulge any information to anyone, including you."_

"_And why not?" Kira exclaimed, he was surprised at his own outburst, "Only you seem to know what's going on! Tell me."_

_Dr Sas turned to give him a dead-panned look. "Why don't you ask Chairman Zala yourself then?"_

_He shrank a little in his chair, "Because he will never tell me…" He replied somewhat bitterly. _

_"These days he is…quieter." Kira frowned, and turned to gaze at his friend's unconscious face. "Sometimes he just withdraws to be alone, and won't open the door for anyone. At times he won't eat, it's like he's just…disappearing. And…just now…" Kira looked at his palms. "When he fell, his body was… cold. Something's wrong, I just know…" He turned his attention back to Dr Sas, "I'm worried...surely you know what's happening? Surely you know how important this is?"_

_Dr Sas sighed, and looked at Kira full in the face. "Very well, but first I must have your promise that this information remains classified. Not even your wife will know."_

"…_Fine…I promise." Kira replied, heart in mouth._

"_Are you familiar with the plague in PLANTs…?"_

_Kira paled, Dr Sas went on emotionlessly, "He was infected, the first. Someone slit his wrist while he was imprisoned by Tad Elthman, and that dagger they used was tainted, very tainted. That's why…" He pulled back Athrun's long sleeve to reveal a small strip of beige dressing over his wrist that Kira had never noticed before, and when Dr Sas inched it off, he gasped audibly. Beneath the dressing lay a bloody, festering wound, and Kira's eyes widened further as he thought he saw a glean of white bone in the depths of the open flesh._

"_This wound doesn't heal, and likely never will. But the good part is, for some reason the virus seemed to be less potent and can be fully suppressed with the right antivirals. The Naturals are okay, but he had been on medication to protect the lot of you…the lot of us." Dr Sas added, as if just remembering that he was a Coordinator as well. "But don't worry, he's not in any immediate danger."_

"_You said immediate danger…define immediate." Kira questioned shakily. _

"_Literally." Dr Sas replied gravely, "He's still alive for now."_

"_For now…?"_

"_I don't know…" Dr Sas acknowledge in a tired manner, "No one knows…"_

"_Damn it…!" Kira muttered slowly, his fist clenched. _

"_Damn it all…"_

_ooo_

Kira looked up from his thoughts. Gazing at his friend, who was having a meeting.

"You sure you okay?" Lacus asked as Athrun entered the room, and approached her and Kira.

"I'm fine." He replied, not looking into their eyes.

"You look quite pale." Lacus said softly, "We can postpone this, you know."

He shook his head, "There is no more time, I'm just a little…tired. What is it that you need me to see?" He changed the subject, seemingly not wanting their pity.

Lacus frowned, and Kira sighed.

"Very well, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats…" Lacus intoned, and people in the room sat down gingerly.

"Good afternoon, I would like to know if any of you has heard of the Horology?"

_That word rang a bell in Kira's head, and he shuddered, remembering being tortured for information regarding what he could not possibly tell them. His body still bore scars from the encounter. He remembered, more vividly than he would have preferred._

"Yes. The lost inheritance meant to be passed between PLANTs Chairmen, rumour has it that…it was lost when your father was assassinated. What about it?" Steven replied.

"…I think we found it, here in Siseneg." Lacus reported. The was a stir among the inhabitants in the room.

"I thought it didn't exist." Violet muttered distractedly. "Miss Clyne, please tell us, how did you arrive at this conclusion?"

"My father, late Chairman Seigel Clyne left me this letter." Lacus raised a yellowed envelope for everyone to see. "He told me to open it, if I alone made it off on the Eternal those years ago. I happened to pick it up and read it a few days ago and I realized that in come ways it is connected to where we are…"

"Was it a will of some sort…?" Violet asked quietly. Athrun's expression was unreadable, but Kira could almost see what he was thinking…

…_Knowing that death was imminent and to do every possible that was within his power to ensure the survival of the one he loved..._

"Not quite, it tells me to take care of myself, the place where he left some money. And see the end here…" Lacus took out a weathered, yellow paper from the envelope and unfolded the letter carefully, as if afraid the paper might shatter into dust. She placed it on the table and pointed at the very last line. Which said: 'If you ever need help, call at 208-167-028-345.'

"…I think there are too many numbers for it to be a telephone number…" Bethany observed.

Lacus smiled, "At first I thought father had simply made a grammar error. Then I tried calling, it's an orphanage in Africa. But notice, four sets of three, it is also a space vector."

Shinn widened his eyes, he was getting it. "Which points to…"

"Siseneg, here. " She confirmed with an emphasis. "I think it's worth paying attention to."

"We take the Eternal…" Athrun started, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. "And a few of us."

"But…" Kira added tentatively, all of them turned to gaze at him, he turned shy, but forced himself to speak up. "…I think the key is the Justice and Freedom, Mr Clyne has probably prepared something…"

"Yeah, Saspuri is so excited about the place described in the diary. He's so not going to be left out on this." Steven chirped, and Violet gave him a glare.

"Very well." Athrun replied. "We go at 1700."

"I don't think that is possible…" Lacus whispered.

"But…!" Athrun began protesting, Lacus held his hand.

Kira gazed at his friend, "I know you are worried, so are we, but time is needed to evacuate the crew off the Eternal and load the Infinite Justice and Strike Freedom…"

"Soonest is maybe tomorrow. The sooner we can locate what we have to, the sooner we can go rescued the kids." Lacus reassured.

"…Alright…" Athrun relented eventually.

Ooo

Leonidas Fitzbane had stopped pacing, it was day five in deep space: day five since he escaped Cagalli's office.

Then, he bluffed his way out, and managed to make his escape on a helicopter. Away from her, away from Orb. He gathered the EAF forces in space, every bit determined to strike the iron while it is hot. It is now their best chance to destroy PLANTs once and for all. It was done in the name of a big brother, to 'take care of' PLANTs which had seemingly fallen into wrong hands. But he and his generals know the deeper, more sinister purpose.

He fished out the little envelope from his pocket.

The handwriting on it was beautiful, practical and perfectly legible. Maybe it was reflective of the one who wrote it, and he flipped it around. It bore no other markings on its tiny surface.

For some reason, his gut feeling had told him that this was an important piece of information. Just how will a letter written by a man who died several years ago prove to be important, he could not fathom. But Cagalli had promptly surrendered when he held the letter hostage, meaning it must really be something worth bargaining for. And for some reason, it feels as if the one who wrote it was not Lord Uzumi. Who would call his daughter 'The love of my life'?

He tore the flap open, and drew out the piece of parchment, it was unmarked stationery, not bearing the letterhead used by Orb Parliament. One more piece of evidence that it was not written by Uzumi; or at least, not in his office.

He unfolded the paper, and he drew a sharp breath as his remaining eye scanned through the contents. Suddenly it all made sense, the weird forces in space who others called the Crimson army, the relationship between Cagalli and the peace envoys, and the identity of the baby in impregnated in Cagalli's body.

He smiled as he saw the date, the letter was written about a week ago, and he began to laugh as he read the very last line.

_Yours,_

_Athrun _

Ooo

Tad Elthman pinched the bridge of his nose, staring at the pile of documents sitting in front of him. The bigger pile lay elsewhere, residing somewhere in his head and blocking out all else.

He has a lot on his plate, and some might have told him that he had bitten off a lot more than he could chew. When he first decided to sacrifice Janurius, it never occurred to him that he would have to deal with all these. In his visions, there will be no EAF avenging their one ship in space, no remnant of the Zaft army knocking on their door, no plague running amok among the PLANTs. All he wanted was to restore the pride of the Coordinator nation, but his efforts are being eroded by these external pests and internal strife. The Council seemingly searched out opportunities to oppose his leadership, making his life inconvenient at every turn, if not yet miserable. Rumors were flying around that Athrun Zala was still alive, and his ghost would come back to reclaim PLANTs even if he could not.

Strangely, the circumstances that Athrun died under seemed to have redeemed a lot of things. Before, many saw him only as a shadow of his father; meaning he might talk all peace, but when things get tough he will become a homicide. That misconception seemed plausible, given the number of medals Athurn had accumulated while he was serving in Zaft, not to mention he also defected, twice. That resulted in cynicism and a general air of mistrust among those who remembered the War during Jachin Due, because nobody can explain what he was thinking. But when Athrun died, the official story released was that he pleaded guilty of the destruction of Janurius and surrendered himself to Zaft; that made him a sort of an honest man to the very last breath. Those who were cynical before became the ones who submitted signed petitions to give their young deceased Chairman a state funeral.

Tad Elthman shelved those in distaste.

He had done what he could, obviously. He had set up means to contain the plague by cordoning off entire cities to contain the spread, and he had signed off funds for the research facilities to find out more within the shortest possible period of time. Cryogenics suddenly became popular especially starting from the rich victims who had gone from the incubation phase to the convulsive phase. Enough had died to show that after that phase, death was imminent due to brain damage, hence to arrest the body and make it go into suspended animation in cryo seemed an alternative.

Also, he had mobilized the Zaft to station forces in every single possible point of attack. Basically this time if EAF or the Crimson army drifts within firing range of PLANTs, they will be shot down in a heartbeat, questions asked later.

Still, he could not find peace.

Before, he had steeled himself and believed that one Janurius was a worthy sacrifice if it would save the entire generation. But not one day had passed without him dreaming about Lenore being on there when it got blown apart. How strange, that he could not imagine her smiling at him now that he had accomplished so much.

"Tad…"

He looked up, giving a tight smile. "Ezaria, you're here…Did something upset you…?" He asked as her countenance looked paler than usual. She gazed at him, but did not reply, then leaned wordlessly on his desk. She sighed, and Tad Elthman waited, he knew not to press her, no one can force Ezaria Jule to do anything she does not want to do. After a while, she shook her head and gave a small grin, "Nothing…how are you doing, tiger?"

Tad Elthman raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic teasing, and asked in return, "Are you sure you are not an imposter?"

"Ooo…maybe." She said lightly, "Fine, ask me something I am supposed to know."

"Hmm…" He chewed his lip, "How many hairs do I have?"

Ezaria must have misheard him, for she replied, "Just one, a boy named Dearka."

"I have no son like him…" Tad Elthman muttered after a while, Ezaria paled, and said in return, "Sorry…"

"Don't be, it's not your fault that he's such a failure."

"…Why do you say that?" Ezaria questioned, the look in her eyes mysteriously sorrowful.

"He may be physically back in PLANTs, but till now, he's siding with rebels against his father, not only that, he has never made it pass head of guards, which is the equivalent of a white. Quite unlike his peers…" Tad Elthman scorned in distaste.

Ezaria fell silent again, and Tad Elthman studied her face and after a while questioned, "Ezaria, are you sure you're alright?"

She smiled a little, though it looked forced and sad. "Tad…this is the generation who fought war since they hit fifteen years old, need I remind you that most of his peers are dead."

"Maybe…but what are you trying to say?" Tad asked slowly, it was not like Ezaria at all, she was usually fast and straight to the point.

Ezaria Jule gazed quietly at him, "Ezaria…?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing…"

Then, a single tear drop rolled down her cheek.

Ooo

Lacus was on the edge of her seat, she herself did not know why. There was an unsettling feeling in her heart.

"This place feels haunted…" Kira muttered from the cockpit of Strike Freedom, seemingly attempting to relax her as the Eternal snailed though the interior of Siseneg, Athrun replied, "That's because there are only three of us."

"Four…" Lacus piped up on the little screen, live feed from the bridge, both of them turned to gaze at her, she smiled sheepishly, "Dr Sas volunteered very fervently, and we have a doctor at hand in case anything happens. Erm…and five and six and seven and eight and nine"

Athrun gave a half frown, "I thought this is supposed to be a top-secret mission."

Murrue appeared beside Lacus, smiling.

"But Mwu and Murrue came here before, so they know the way, and Steven was a stowaway. Lastly, I have Bethany and Belinda to man the weaponry.

As a answer to their query, Mwu chose this moment to appear on the communication screen, "Yo, kids."

"Yo…?" Kira replied uncertainly, Lacus wanted to laugh at her husband, it was always like that with Mwu.

"You think there will be a fight?" Athrun asked.

"Dunno, but best be on top of things." She replied loftily. "By the way, most of you will stay on this ship, I'll bring Dr Saspuri, Shinn and Mwu to go have a look."

They docked the ship in the docking bay, which literally had an Eternal-shaped hole. And as Lacus's boots met the ground, her heart began to pound audibly in her ears, and her senses prickled. She sensed something was wrong, and till now, her instinct has never been wrong.

_About four meters to the party's right. Spencer Glady cocked his gun..._

ooo

Hi all!

THis is a very, very long update, and its quite overdue too.

I am so busy! I started working overnight shifts as a Pharmacist, so orders from all over the hospital will come to you, and you are supposed to put a stamp of approval on them before the nurses can serve the medications. Essentially, my job is to screen the orders and scold the doctors if necessary. (Eg, Dr XXX, your kid is only 7 days old, this dose is too high, use that dose according to this reference. I'm gonna throw this order out of the list, please order it again.) At any one time, there are definitely at least 2 Pharmacists in the hospital. Lolz, I am whining about my work. But if one feels up to it, study to get at least 3 'A's. and join our profession of overworked and underpaid Pharmacists! Mwahahaha!

Yes, the story is coming to an end, like within the next three chapters. A big thank you for sticking with 'I believe' till now! Love you guys.

Btw I have posted a few sketches of Violet, Steven, Sas as well as Mark Jocose, and of course Athrun on deviantart. So if interested to have a look, go to .com, search 'mingathur' to view.

Till chapter next!

YOurs

Ming


	24. Chapter 24: Hyperion

Chapter 24: Hyperion

ooo

Author's words: Must we go through this yet again? Gundam seed and destiny belongs to Bandai. No part of this fic is done for profit but I strive to ensure that it is of good entertainment value.

ooo

Athrun sat in the cockpit of Infinite Justice, and he quietly slipped out his laptop from the overhead compartment.

_He had collated all the possible names of who their phantom necromancer might be. Those who knew Light, who possibly knew Spencer, and those who understood Meyrin's relationship with him and proceeded with the elimination process. If there were any ambiguity regarding the name's need to be filtered, he would keep them in the list anyway. Right now, he is down to 17, of which 15 are surprising._

He had been taking a sort of a live tour around the ships where he met up with individual soldiers for coffee. Wherever he went, he would drop little hints to find out whether the person knows more than he should. He had kept the project as private as possible because no one can be trusted, perhaps only Kira and Meyrin knew.

"Athrun." Kira implored, which pulled him out of the depths of his thoughts.

"Yea?"

"Can you…tell me more about Lacus…?"

Athrun frowned a little, partially amused. "…What do you want to know?"

"Why are there always little round things bouncing around her?" Kira questioned sheepishly.

"Are they impeding your personal time?" Athrun asked lightly.

"Little…" Kira muttered, Athrun fought the urge to laugh, "They are called Haros, I gave them to her when we were still together, for amusement, entertainment and annoyance, apparently."

"Together?" Kira exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

"Kira…relax. It was in the past, she was my fiancé."

"Fiancé?" He exclaimed, his jealousy so obvious that Athrun resisted the urge to laugh at his friend. It was probably not funny at all.

"We were fiancé, but there's nothing else to it. We are betrothed, but hardly in love." He explained patiently.

"Why would you…give her things if you did not love her?" Kira pressed.

Athrun's hands paused.

"I…wanted to make amends. I was a young soldier then, constantly on move, and I hardly get to see her even though we were supposed to get married soon. We were paired up because our genes are supposedly the best combination when it comes to making babies."

"Making babies, huh." Kira muttered, and Athrun chuckled, imagining Kira blushing at his crude choice of words. Marriage can change you in a way nothing can.

"Kira…she was like my sister, my friend, my companion. But we were not lovers, it was only when I met Cagalli-aka your sister- that I learnt how to love…And what it means to be married and stay married..." At this Athrun fell silent in voluntarily, his thoughts turning bittersweet again. She had held on to his hand one last time before they parted, and whispered words meant only for his ears...

_I love you, Athrun._

He wanted to tell her, _Me too_. But was denied the power to form those words because he would rather she move on with the baby in her tummy. Strangely, after that, Leonidas Fitzbane's atrocity was found out, and it placed him in marginally better mood.

"Athrun?" Kira implored. "I…think I love Lacus."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked with a slight smile.

"Because I want to make babies with her and I want to know how you coaxed your wife to…" He muttered very quickly, and Athrun laughed, but his feelings were mixed.

Honestly speaking, he did not need to coax her, his wife was the one who suggested they skip first, second, third base and head straight for homerun.

Her exact words were '_Athrun, we gotta hit 'em fast, hit 'em hard'._

Athrun sighed, Kira was slightly concerned. "…Athrun?"

"Nothing..." He whispered, not wanting Kira to worry, "...But I'll tell you a secret to making pregnant women happy."

Kira sat closer to the camera, and expanded on the overhead screen. "What is it?"

"Foot rubs!"

Kira frowned in confusion and amusement, "Foot rubs?"

"For some reason, when Cagalli was pregnant, she had leg cramps occasionally, but her belly eventually got too big for her to get up and touch her toes." Athrun recounted the nights where he will be forcibly shakened awake, or otherwise kicked awake. "And I found from a magazine that soaking the feet in warm water followed by a massage reduces the incidences."

"Does it work?"

Athrun nodded. "Yep." And sighed again.

"...'Thrun?"

"…It's nothing…" He replied quickly. Thinking about Max and Marlene, and how he had failed to protect them. He had allowed them to be placed in harm's way yet again.

He clenched his fist at this point.

_I'm sorry..._

Then his labtop binged, showing that he has received mail. It was strange because the people who would mail him are all currently busy with exploration.

His heartbeat skipped a beat as he realized it was coded, and signed by 'Light.'

Ooo

Spencer Gladys stood as still as he could, even regulating his breathing in his best efforts to conceal himself; being a red is a little silly at times, their clothing was so bright.

He and his team had been in ambush here for two weeks, they had been waiting for the Crimson army to discover and decide to explore this place with just a little spaceship manned by a few. His team's role had been to capture the rebels, but his main target was to capture the Crimson warlord, if possible, alive. So he and his team split up, they scattered themselves in the remnants of the little colony.

His heart leapt as he saw Mwu with the first scouting party, and the urge to run to him and hug him threatened to destroy their plans. But he managed to rein in his foolishness and forced himself to harden his heart, he is no longer a little boy.

_Lacus Clyne, the woman who was reportedly seen last at PLANTs for jail-breaking two criminals_. One was walking at her side, gun at the ready. Spencer would turn him in as well if he could. Dr Saspuri, the head Physician of a few generations of PLANTs Chairmen. A smart man who knew where he had to do to make and keep his riches. And if these people were here, it will likely mean that he will find Aunt Murrue and likely the warlord himself.

He motioned for the rest of his party to follow the foursome, the other red soldiers nodded. They slipped off, using the air vents to pass unnoticed.

He turned, and wondered how to get into the ship. The four people came down through a ramp, which closed up behind them. Once they were gone, and Spencer was alone, he snuck to the hull of Eternal. Checking here and there to see if there were any switches for opening the emergency exits.

He scrutinized the surface, and was without luck after five minutes, then a hiss issued from his left sent him ducking behind a docking clamp for cover.

He peeked out from his hiding place as a soldier, a man, judging from his height and build came down from the ramp. It was strange, for he was unarmed, and that was a primary mistake for any soldier to be unarmed in an unknown, possibly hostile environment. The man was in a ZAFT red pilot suit, completed with the helmet. His build was like Athrun, tall and lanky, but perhaps thinner. The man looked around warily, then pressed a switch on the side to make the ramp start returning to its original position, then broke off into a sprint.

It was his chance, Spencer broke cover and ran forward, bringing all his athletic ability into play as he had to close up the distance between him and the disappearing entrance in the shortest and quietest way. He stopped at the bottom of them ramp, just as there was a hole that was less than a meter wide, he ground his boots and leapt up, two meters into the air and managed to gain the edge of the ramp, he pulled himself up and slipped into the ship right before the hole close up behind him.

It was dark, and quiet, but he knew not to be deceived by peace. He was in the docking bay, and beside him loomed Infinte Justice and Strike Freedom. He readied his rifle, and slowly stood up from his crouching position, slipping into the shadows.

ooo

Lacus watched as Sas worked on de-encrypting the codes that the computer insisted on putting up against them, "Dr Saspuri, is everything going well?"

"Yes, just give me a little bit more time." The older man replied in a placating tone, the little journal clutched tightly in his hands, as if he just does not want to waste anymore mental faculties. Lacus could not help but smile, the old man had an expression just like a little kid taking apart his first toy. Shinn stood rigid to her right, his gun murder-ready, had he sensed the same unease?

"Shinn?"

"Shh." He chided gently, "There's something…I don't know how to explain, things are going too smoothly."

"I know what you mean, but we just have to be alert…"

Mwu was poking around the room, overturning surfaces here and there as if expecting to find a kangaroo. Eager as she was to discover what Seigel Clyne wanted her to see, the faster they could get out of this place, the better.

Lacus felt something vibrate in her pocket and she drew it out to see the message sent from Athrun with an attachment of the blueprint of the place.

Lacus could swear that her heart stopped for a moment when she read the message.

"Get out of there, this is a trap."

It all happened very quickly, Mwu suddenly yelped as Dr Sas shouted in triumph. "Hmm…all done! Now I just have to press this..."

"Freeze!"

Ooo

It was dark, and the deafening silence pressed on around him. Athrun did as he was told, he ventured alone, completely unarmed to the place where Light Yagami told him to go. He had sent him a blueprint of the place, which he had promptly forwarded to Lacus, telling them to bail.

He felt completely vulnerable with no cold, hard steel in his hands, and knew that Kira will probably slap his dead body silly if died here.

_He had lied to Kira that he was going to take a leak, and when Kira was not looking, he slipped off, he had to, Marlene and Max are waiting for him. Light Yagami had promise not to hurt them if Athrun obeyed his instruction__s__, Athrun knew better than to bel__ieve every word that kidnapper__ says, but what choice did he have?_

So here he stood alone in the middle of a large, cavernous circular room filled with nothing but a glowing crystal cylinder in the middle. It was large, taller than him and linked all the way between the ceiling and the floor. It looks big enough to house a person, its eerie green surface was clouded with what looked like a thick layer of fine dust.

Athrun walked towards it, and for some reason was drawn to the structure. Maybe he was curious, maybe he was being stupid, but he reached a hand to smudge off some of the dust. What he saw made him gasp in surprise and back off two steps.

_There were a pair of eyes gazing at him from within the tube._

"Ulen Hibiki." Issued a voice from behind him. He whirred around to come face to face with Light Yagami. He was in a red pilot suit, holding two swords.

_Again, the undetectable approach._

The other man looked unhappy, even though he had got him right where he wanted him.

"Where are Max and Marlene?" Athrun demanded.

"Patience, or I will make sure you never see them again." Light smiled, and replied silkily. "Aren't you curious to know what you just saw?"

Athrun asked cautiously, "…Who's that?"

"Like I say…Ulen Hibiki."

Athrun thoughts raced. "Kira and Cagalli's father…"

"…The father of us all." Light corrected as he reached the switches on the far side of them room, Athrun grew more perplexed. Light Yagami flicked them on leisurely, and the next moment Athrun found himself surrounded.

Not by men, by…things. Paneling the walls of the room are the same cylinders he first saw, but once they were illuminated, Athrun realized that there were people in them. And not just any person, they were all perfect replicates of the Kira he remembered from his days in elementary school. But though their eyes were half opened, there was no soul in them, the so-called child was just a perfect mass of flesh and bones, he wondered if they can be called alive. And for some reason, it made Athrun sick to the stomach, and he felt bile ride up his gullet. He covered his mouth, resisting the urge to vomit.

"You probably can guess, I was born here as well…" He said wistfully.

"Why are you telling…and showing me all these?" Athrun questioned. "And that shouldn't be…why are you older than the rest? If you are the same as them, you should still be a boy now."

The look Light gave him was enough to cause his heart to grow cold, and for the first time, he saw the truth.

"Impossible…You…!" He choked out those words, it was then Light turned fully towards him, and threw him one of the swords. He caught it, it was lightweight, its edge keen as death. And he realized that it was the same model he had practiced with as a student in Zaft Military academy.

"Fight me." Light challenged, taking his stance.

Ooo

Zaft soldiers all learnt swordplay as a mixture of fencing and kendo.

They were not old fashion or samurai-wannabes, Athrun once pondered about it too when his instructor handed him a bamboo sword. Personally, he preferred short swords which can be wielded with both hands, and guns, of course, which have a much longer range. It simply stood as a fact that if you cannot wield a small one, you cannot possibly wield a big one.

_Ignorance! How to wield a seven meter long Excalibur when one does not understand how a half meter long one is used? Their instructor had cried fervently, even though then, no one had any idea what an Excalibur looked like..._

Light dashed towards him, and he parried the first attack. There was a clanging of metal and sparks flew off the edge of their blades. Forcing him to back off three steps at the surprising amount of force. The impact left his arm momentarily numb. But for some reason, he did not want to fight Light.

_He's just like Rey…_

"Fight me!" Light cried in challenge as he sent another blow to Athrun's arm, who blocked and drove him away with an upstroke. They exchanged a few more blows, and it was clear that Light had the upperhand; being so much faster and well-practiced with the sword.

"All I have to do is to prove that I am stronger than you! How could you ever won me!" He questioned furiously as he delivered another series of attacks, which Athrun only just manage to parry and avoid getting skewered.

Athrun thought privately as he attempted to distance himself from the raving man, a fresh cut bleeding on his arm. "I never won, I just can't remember…" But all that thought and rational was simply insignificant when he was barely staying alive, this time the edge of Light's sword grazed the side of his leg, drawing blood. He winched and leapt away quickly.

"Heh." Light said in triumph, "It was a fluke after all, you're weak! Say goodbye to your two little ones."

"What have you done to them?" Athrun demanded as he lunged forward, bringing the blade down from above.

Light blocked off his attack, and pushed him away with a violent swing. He lost balance for a moment before his feet found the ground again. He charged forward. Light avoided in time, and droplets of blood floated off Athrun's blade with a motion as the blade singed Light stomach.

That left Athrun's back wide open, and Light slammed his elbow down against the back of his neck. There was a moment of breath-taking, excruciating pain.

Then nothing.

Ooo

Kira Yamato frowned at the intruder, he did not know who he was, only that this young Zaft red had somehow managed to creep into the ship, perceiving himself unnoticed.

He waited for Spencer Gladys to pass him by, then crept out of the cockpit of Strike Freedom and followed in his wake, he wanted to know what is he up to. It was strange to see a single red, only fifteen or sixteen creeping about. Was it bravado or stupidity, Kira cannot decide.

He followed the red to a corner, where suddenly there were gunshots, and Murrue's voice shouted, "Who's there?"

"Aunt…Aunt Murrue?" The young red cried.

"Spencer…?" Murrue asked as she sheathed her weapon and ran forward, seemingly wanting to embrace the Zaft red. Who warded her off by raising his gun, "Don't come near!"

Murrue stopped, "W…Why? What's wrong Spencer?"

"Where's the Crimson Warlord?" Spencer demanded, ignoring her pleas.

"He's not here. I haven't seen him…" She answered sincerely, and it made Kira wonder where he was too, Athrun had to pass by this way to go to the bathroom.

He gasped, _Athrun lied. He must be elsewhere now, but…why?_

"Who's there?" Spencer Gladys demanded, and a gunshot hit the wall beside him. Kira swallowed, and walked out calmly, hoping to look braver than he felt. "Don't shoot, it's me." He added, hoping the boy knows him but virtue of him knowing Murrue, even if it was not mutual.

For some reason his appearance put the boy at ease, "Kira it's you." He gave a quick smile, lowered his weapon and jogged two steps towards Kira, and addressed him as one would a comrade. "Aren't you supposed to be in the clone room doing something?"

"I'm all done." Kira lied quickly, though he knew not what was Light supposed to be doing in the 'Clone room.' Light is here, that means the kids are near too. _And Athrun who ran off without telling anyone must be…_

"If there are two of us, we can take everyone one this ship." He decided confidently.

"O..Of course." Kira answered somewhat calmly, Murrue's eyes widened, and pointed her gun at him. "You imposter, don't you dare touch Spencer!"

Kira groaned inwardly, trying not to stare down the black hole of Murrue's gun barrel. But it was Spencer who stood in front of him, "Come on, defend yourself." Then added in an afterthought. "Or did you lost your gun?"

"Yeah…" Kira muttered half-heartedly, he really did not have one.

Spencer Gladys stiffened, and Kira could feel his heart skip a beat and cold sweat dripped down his temple.

"That isn't right, you left your gun with me just now, saying you only need swords…" Spencer Gladys turned slowly, no more warmth in his eyes, "WHO Are you?"

A moment before Spencer fired, Murrue fired, it hit Spencer in the calf, which caused his bullet to only brush pass Kira's head, missing his temple by millimeters. Murrue then pounced on Spencer, flattening him to the ground, Kira stepped back to avoid getting hit by their momentum, and subdued Spencer Gladys, preventing him from hitting Murrue.

"Get off me!" He thrashed and shouted, Kira only wrung his hands harder and tied up his hands with a belt. Murrue looked uncertain, but searched him for weapons and confiscated a gun, a blade, three grenades and two magazines. Then she attempted to stem the bleeding from the back of his leg.

Spencer merely glared at her and attempted to kick her.

"Not a chance. Take me to the clone room, now!" Kira hissed, forcibly dragging Spencer to his feet.

"I don't know where it is!" Spencer thrashed, though he was leaning heavily against Kira. "I don't know who the hell are you. Even if I know, I wouldn't betray my comrades."

"Oh yeah?" Kira asked sarcastically, deciding that deceit was his best bet. "And do you know what the Warlord might be doing to your comrades right now?"

Spencer Gladys widened his eyes, and appeared to be doing some very quick thinking. "That man in a red pilot suit just now?" He cursed out loud, then bit his lip and replied, "He can't, he wasn't armed."

"Oh. He doesn't need to be." Kira replied with a deceivingly smug smile, "Who do you think he is?"

With that, Spencer Gladys widened his eyes, and eventually nodded grudgingly.

"I'll come..." Murrue began, but Kira shook his head at her, "Captain Ramius..."

She looked torn, but perhaps she understood that her feelings will cloud her judgement. And she nodded, "I understand."

ooo

"Weapons down, now." The leader of the group of Zaft red ordered the foursome, her name was Emily Rosetta, she is 16 and on her first mission of destroying the Crimson army.

She took in the identities of the four people, there was a pink haired lady, Lacus Clyne. And she resisted the urge to ask her for an autograph. An old man, a middle age man and a young man, who was none other than the legendary ace who quit to go to Orb, Shinn Asuka.

"I said weapons, now." She barked at Shinn and Mwu, it was obvious who their charge was. "Or I'll shoot Miss Clyne here first."

Shinn very grudgingly laid his gun down, and she kicked both out of their reach.

She got them to stand out of the way as she approached the panel. "Curious, what will Seigel Clyne leave behind that can be of any good? Old man, operate this."

"I keyed in the codes already, all remains now is to…" Dr Sas pressed the red button.

The screen crackled to life, she kicked Dr Sas behind the knee and pointed the gun at his forehead, "Get down, dirty old man."

"Hey!" Shinn shouted, the red fired at his feet as a warning, "One more step..."

Words began rolling across the screen in a down-to-up fashion.

_Prithee, sane is the one who seeks our trace_

_Regrets, we have not, in death's face_

_For when the keys lies in thy hands_

_These Chronicles reveal but a secret plan_

_Pass not over to the other side _

_For deep is the darkness that resides._

_Behold, you have been warned time again._

_Proceed, only if one desires the pain._

_An abomination created by we_

_Initially just termed experiment three_

_Intrinsically virulent as viruses be_

_A future wrought with uncertainty_

_Perfection, we strove for, time and again_

_But only found the depths of shame_

_Imperfect as humans be_

_Salvation's found in Hyperion's wings_

_To go past the limits of evolution_

_To bring to life, the seed that breaks_

_To gather the living and bring new dawn_

_At the end of the day, mourn life that was lost._

_The screen changed again._

"My name is Seigel Clyne." Lacus seemed shaken for a moment, to hear her father voice. The man in the video was none other than late Chairman Seigel Clyne, a little disheveled and old-looking but calm.

"This recording contains information that's pertinent to PLANTs future, with all my heart, I pray that it will not end up in the wrong hands. This laboratory once belonged to Ulen Hibiki. Similarly, those were his last words."

Lacus widened her eyes, and muttered to Shinn, "Kira had mentioned something once, the name of his real father who turned him Coordinator…"

Emily considered the information, she did hear something of this theory, that there existed the genes of this ultimate Coordinator. And the possessor of this particular set of genes was none other than Kira Yamato, the general of Orb. PLANTs has always be wary of him as a result, and the only one who had ever held a candle against Kira Yamato in an all-out fair fight was their late Chairman; who became the first sixteen-year-old in Zaft history to be awarded the Order of the Nebula.

"I discovered this place when I was acting Chairman of PLANTS. Ulen Hibiki was the head researcher of this lab. In his dream to create the Ultimate Coordinator, he and a group of scientists dabbled with his own son's genes as an experimental subject. And they succeeded through him, they thought they created a perfect being, but they were wrong. There is no such thing as perfection, not when humans are imperfect beings. " He explained with pain in his eyes, and paused at this point. "The experiments did not end there. Unsatisfied, they strove to prove themselves right time and again. Using clones of the original being, they devised numerous ways to destroy them. Some humane, some, not so."

He sighed, "And in the process, they discovered a virus, a variant of the EBV, this was called experiment three. They used this virus to infect the clone, and it worked, the virus adheres to a particular surface protein on red blood cells that is found in 80-90 percent of all Coordinator population. They migrate into the cell and hides till they find their way to the bone marrow, where the real damage begins. In this perverted experiment, Ulen Hibiki himself was infected. Though he was not Coordinator, he had genes that made him vulnerable to the virus, those same genes that his son shares. But he placed himself in suspended animation before he went into convulsive phase, in hopes that one day his scientists will be able to revive him."

"The plague in PLANTs…" Emily Rosetta wondered aloud, this is important information. Her senses told her to silence everyone else in the room to keep the information classified, but her respect for Lacus Clyne prevented her from doing just that.

"After he slept, the data was stolen and it landed up in the wrong hands. The called themselves the Death dealers, they sold weapons to anyone who is willing to pay. War profits them, and we found out…I found out, that they were the ones who destroyed the Junius on that faithful Valentine..."

"So it wasn't the EAF at all…" Emily heard her team member mutter in shock, Emily remembered that his family were killed in Junius as well. Silence prevailed in the room, no one dared to breathe.

"When I was Chairman, they threatened to sell the virus to EAF, should I breathe a single word about it. Unwilling to compromise, I shared the information with Patrick. That was my second mistake, Patrick had never recovered from his wife's passing, and in finding out who were the real killers, he went berserk. Now…I am being chased by the assassins from the Death dealers, and trying to find a way to stop them from hurting my daughter and to keep Patrick from insanity."

"Father…"

"To my daughter, Lacus. I wished I could have brought you into the world at a more peaceful time, where you can grow up with your mother beside you. I pushed you away then, because I had no choice. And I hope you will live to find happiness and know who your real enemies are. I may not survive long, but I hope I can leave as much as I can for you to finish what I could not. Retained in the hard disk of this computer are the details and research data left by Dr Hibiki, and an upgrade for the Eternal that one might find useful and perhaps fun."

At this point, Seigel Clyne gave a smile, and for some reason, Lacus Clyne smiled back at her father's face on the screen, though hers was much wetter.

"I know it isn't much. All is not lost, even if this virus is one day used as a bioweapon. In the chronicles, Dr Hibiki left a piece of important information regarding the evolution of Coordinators. According to this theory, humans all have the ability to surpass their own limits, Coordinators apparently will evolve faster than the Naturals. Ulen Hibiki called the first phase 'Seed break', and the second, 'Hyperion'. Very, very few will ever reach stage one, and stage two remains undiscovered even till now, but should any Coordinator reach phase two of evolution, he or she will gain the ability to overcome the plague..."

"Hyperion..." Lacus muttered thoughtfully, as if trying out the word. "And death dealers."

The light on the screen went off. And suddenly the whole place shook, and the occupants were thrown off their feet.

Ooo

_Almost there…_

Athrun heard an ethereal voice, and he opened his eyes. He was lying on a skin of water, with the dark depths indiscernible beneath the unbroken. ice-cold surface.

Standing a meter in front of him is a dark hooded figure. It was so quiet that the silence formed a continuous whine, torturing his ears.

He got up gingerly, and was no longer afraid, too many meetings had happened for him to still respond in fear. "You again…" He muttered uncertainly at the powerful creature.

"Am I dead?" Athrun asked.

_Not yet..._

The creature answered without words, its voice a scream in his ears.

"Who… are you?" He questioned, it was a strange question to ask the dark figure, but Athrun sensed the slightest trace of a smile as if it was pleased that he finally asked the right question.

_I am…Hyperion. _

With that, the figure peeled off the hood that had forever shadowed over it's face. And Athrun gasped.

He looked exactly like Athrun, but his face was unmarked, and was smiling a smile that would look so foreign on Athrun's face.

"What the hell…?" He could only mutter in shock, it was illogical. But to be talking to a figment of his imagination in his dreadful dream was illogical, yet some part of Athrun told him that this creature who looked exactly like him defied all logic.

_Surrender to me, and I will give you strength._

It declared aloud, and Athrun noticed that its mouth did not move though the words resonated loud and clear in his head. Its smile never wavered.

"What are you talking about?"

_You're weak, you can't even save your own flesh and blood, but I can._

"I don't need your help! Whatever you are…" He snapped.

_Really…?_

In a flash, the creature closed up the gap between itself and Athrun and grasped Athrun's wrist, fire began to burn, originating from the gash there, burning all the way down his arm and reached his chest. Athrun screamed, and crumpled from the pain, he tried to tear his wrist from the vice-like grip, but the creature only tightened its hold. He could only struggled helplessly as he watched his skin and flesh blacken and melt.

"Let go!" He howled in pain.

_The dark creature only smiled in return._

Ooo

Light nudged Athrun with his boot, and was pleased when there was no response. His eyes remained closed, and his breathing was ragged, as if he was having a bad dream.

He shifted the unconscious Athrun into face up position, and knelt down beside him, raising his sword high.

_He really cannot believe that he had won, and no he can finally go back to his father, and not be killed like the rest..._

"Die." He proclaimed with finality, and plunged the blade downwards, right towards Athrun's heart.

Before his blade the tip of his blade met his mark, there was a blur of movement and the blade struck the floor. Athrun had rolled away and got up stealthily, crouching like a cat. There was a moment where their eyes locked, and Light felt an unearthly chill ride up his spine. Those eyes promised punishment, and for some reason Light knew that this was not the same person whom he had bested those minutes ago, this one was a different being.

Athrun then lunged forward, at a much faster speed than before. And to his horror, before he could respond or react in any way to defend himself, Athrun drove the handle of his sword into the space between his last two ribs, denying him of air for a moment. "Argh..."

That opening was all that was needed, and it was over all too quickly, Athrun's elbow drove into the side of his face, knocking him down onto the floor. For a moment he blacked out, and awoke only to feel the blade behind stamped out from beneath his fingers and swiftly kicked away. Then Athrun kicked him in the stomach so hard that he vomited involuntarily.

Then with one swift motion, Athrun drove the blade of his sword all the way through the top part of his right shoulder and pinned him to the floor with it.

He screamed out in pain, and thrashed, blood spurted, but Athrun crouched over him, subduing him, restraining his other arm and legs.

"Shut up." Athrun said coldly, and panted, it seemed that he was talking to himself. "Stop it."

Light gazed at Athrun out of the corner of his eye, and saw that he looked different from before, he looked like someone who had just wakened from a dream, and seemed surprised at what he was doing.

"Kill me." Light snared, defeated. He would rather die in the enemy's hands than to return to a far worst fate.

"Tell me, who are you? Who sent you? Where are the kids?" Athrun demanded, clutching the blade and twisting it threateningly. The pain almost caused him to faint, and he knew he had nothing to lose but giving Athrun the information he wanted.

"I let them go…after the little boy almost bit off my hands." Light laughed in self-mockery, then paused.

"And I am…a useless child who can never please his father."

Athrun drew a shuddering breath, considering those words. Though Light cannot see his face, he sensed that those words meant something to Athrun.

"What do you mean?"

"...Kira Yamato…" He muttered, "He was supposed to be the Ultimate Coordinator, he's supposed to be undefeatable. But you…a normal sixteen-year-old boy fought him and it ended as a draw. You got their attention, how could their ultimate creation lose to a normal Coordinator in an all-out fight?"

"Me…?" Athrun thought out loud.

"...I never won Kira…"

"Yes, but to them a draw is equals to defeat, because it's not supposed to happen. They tried all means and ways to turn you against your friend, Dulliandal…do you ever know why he was interested in you out of the blue?"

Athrun did not ask, but he answered anyway.

"They promised him what he wanted if he could get you to rejoin Zaft. A family…with Talia Gladys. So he coaxed, he charmed, he enticed and made exceptions for you to the point of breaking laws, and he succeeded."

Athrun paled, realizing how these series of events now made sense. Someone had been pulling those strings all along.

"They wanted to see if it was a fluke, they wanted you two to fight it out again. But that much anticipated battle was not what they wanted, because it became clear that Saviour would not put up a proper battle against the Strike Freedom. They saw the fight between Shinn Asuka and Kira, but that one was declared unfair when Shinn Asuka fought to kill, while Yamato just ran. They concluded that they could no longer make you fight Kira Yamato, so...my father trained me."

"You have no father…" Athrun said half-questioningly.

Light laughed a strangled laugh, "Maybe…But I was bred to fight you, and strangely…I never won. Maybe you are special…maybe you are what they are looking for."

"What are they after...? And…who are 'they'? Answer me!" Athrun pressed, when Light glared at him, he narrowed his eyes and tilted the blade slightly, pain shot through his arm as blood spurted from the edges of the wound, almost causing him to faint.

"…An army of ultimate Coordinators to fight for them." He said through gritted teeth, and could feel Athrun pause, the twisting motion stopped.

"The Death dealers…a syndicate of businessmen seeking to use war to make themselves richer. After Hibiki went into suspended animation, they bought over his labs, planning to use the clones of Kira Yamato as the basis for their army. So that they will indeed be undefeatable, like the thirteenth in PLANTs now…pulling Tad Elthman's strings."

"The thirteenth, who's that?" Athrun was holding his breath at the revelation.

"...Giovanni Lacey." He replied emotionlessly, and he breathed heavily, blood loss beginning to take its toll on him. He closed his eyes, and demanded, "Kill me."

"One last question." Athrun asked.

He sighed wearily, "Ask away."

"How old are you, exactly?"

That threw him off guard, and he opened his eyes to gaze at Athrun, who had genuine curiosity on his face. He bit his lip, wondering whether to answer the question, and realized after a while that he did not really know.

"Dunno…" He muttered, "I woke up to be about eight, then trained for the next four years before I fought you."

"Twelve, then…" Athrun muttered.

And before he could react, Athrun comandered shortly, "Don't move, bite something."

Light obeyed, for some reason scared by Athrun's seriousness.

With one swift motion, Athrun plucked the blade free from the floor and from his body. He screamed as the sword passed through him a second time, and could barely feel as hands pressed about his wounds, stemming the bleeding.

"What are you doing…?" He asked foggily.

"Can you walk?"

"?"

Then the place started trembling, and Athrun looked around, then gazed gravely at Light.

"Come on, up!" Athrun ordered as he wrapped Light's uninjured arm around his neck, and heaved him upright forcibly. Light saw him winched as the wound on his leg bled a little more.

"What are you doing?" He demanded in surprise.

"Isn't it obvious?" Athrun snapped irately.

Light understood compassion when he sees it, but he simply could not believe what was happening. He was a maimed tool, nothing more.

"Why? I am a murderer, a kidnapper, a monster! Don't you understand? I exist only to kill you!"

"Athrun regarded his outburst coolly as he dragged him forward unrepentantly.

"You're just a kid, really..."

_That shut him up, to be called a kid._

"What?"

"You said your objective is to kill me, till now, I'm still walking around, so you are no murderer."

Light could find no reply to that.

"Second, the children you were supposed to kidnap ran from you, so you are a failure at that too. Unless they are harmed, you are still not a murderer."

Light lowered his head, though he had a distinct feeling that he wasn't being reprimanded.

"Third...no one is born to do anything. Your life is yours, no one can tell you how to live it."

Tears pooled in Light's eyes, but he did not dare look at Athrun.

_No one had ever told him his life was his to live, he believed that there was no purpose to his existence other than pleasing his father and doing what was told. If he rebelled, he will simply be terminated and put down like his predecessors. He never understood death, he always thought that it was simply a ceasing to exist, like falling asleep at night...He had never known how to fear death; till his father waved the needle filled with the red-vile looking liquid in front of him and told him what to expect should he fail again..._

"I...don't know..." He whispered, biting his lip miserably, he was trembling in fear and panic. And he wondered what in the world made him pathetic enough to be so candid in front of an enemy.

_He did not know what to do with his life but to fulfill a single objective of ending someone else's...  
_

Athrun spared him a fleeting glance, but there was genuine warmth in his eyes. He did not look at Light as he went on. "It may be a little scary, but let me quote my wife, 'You have hands and legs and talents that others can only dream of, so find a job and start over, you'll be alright.'"

Light felt tears pool in his eyes.

"You are ...married..." He muttered instead, attempting to hide his true thoughts.

Athrun nodded nonchalantly, stepping left to avoid the debris falling from the ceiling. "Since I was nineteen."

"Why are you...doing this?" Light questioned shakily, he suddenly felt so tired.

"Like I said, because you're just a kid. Now shut up and walk faster."

Light followed Athrun.

Ooo

Kira's shoulder hit the side as the ground shook, and their watched as clamps descended from chutes that had opened up from the walls, and grasped the Eternal. He watched as the clamps and solders started remodeling the ship. He watched, unable and not sure whether he should do anything about it as the armour plating of the Eternal was being removed piece by piece. It was quite amazing, really, that the whole process was done without the use of human hands. But at the same time, he was worried for the people who are in the ship, if the quaking was so bad outside, it must be worst inside.

Spencer Gladys took his moment of distraction to throw him off, and started running. Kira cursed and gave chase, regretting not tying up his legs as well. But a pile of debris that landed square in his path stopped him totally, cursing again, he decided that his priority was finding Athrun now.

That was when two pairs of small feet running away in the opposite side caught his attention.

"Marlene!" He cried, and gave chase.

ooo

A clear disk ejected itself from a slot above the red button. And Dr Sas went forward to snatch it.

"Gimme that!" Emily snapped.

Shinn watched as Emily wrestled with Dr Sas for the disk that contained whatever Seigel Clyne promised, At one point, she hit him onto the floor and stomped on his hand, and grabbed the now-free disk.

"Hey!" Shinn yelled, and one of the reds shot him, the bullet grazed his calf.

"Let's go, this place isn't safe and we have what we need!" She commandeered the other reds. Who asked, "What of these people? Should we kill them?"

"They don't have the Warlord with them, let them die here. Let's just take Miss Clyne and the old man with us." With that two reds grabbed Lacus and Saspuri and dragged them along. Mwu and Shinn threatened to attacked, but was warded off by Emily's gun aimed at Lacus's chest.

"Lacus!" Kira shouted as he suddenly entered the room, and charged at Emily, who evaded his attack and fired a shot that singed Lacus's hair. "No closer, buster."

"!"

The reds retreated, closed the door and sealed the exit they passed through with a few gunshots to the lock. Shinn cursed, trying to find his weapon.

"Kira…!" A meek voice cried out from beside the door, they were apparently sealed in by coming after Kira. "We thought you were the bad man, so we hid…"

"The kids…" Shinn exclaimed, and Kira ran to embrace the pair. They were dirty and scared, but appeared otherwise unharmed. "Damn it!"

"Now what?" Mwu asked as the quaking got worst, "We have to get out of here! If I was their captain I will blow the colony the moment my troops return."

"Can we open the door?" Kira asked, Mwu concentrated all his might onto a triangular point of his shoulder and slammed full-force into the only door in the place, which did not even budge. "It's shut tight!"

At that point Max widened his eyes at Kira, and questioned shakily.

"…Are we going to die?"

It was enough to make a grown man cry, and Kira did just that.

He shook his head slowly, though he whispered under his breath, "I'm sorry…"

Shinn looked around, closing off the crying children and looked around. He cannot just sit there and wait to be rescued, nor is he willing to sit and die. _A good soldier will always see what others cannot, the reds came in by some other means, he was sure, but where?_

_There! An air conduit opening, sealed by a metal grid. It was about two meters high and unreachable except with teamwork. _

"Hey kid, there!" Mwu pointed out and swiftly moved into position below and Shinn climbed on Mwu's shoulders, he cursed, the darn thing was locked, and he had no gun as it was taken by the reds.

"Kira, any weapons?"

Kira shook his head, and despair sank in as he realized that their last hope had just gone down the drain.

"Anyone? Is there anyone out there?" He yelled into the vent at the top of his lungs, frustrated, but nothing met his outburst.

It was suddenly quiet, the place stood gravely still, the remodeling had seemingly been completed, but there was no point if the occupants of the ship are going to die here.

_It was like a stillness before the storm when the truth finally kicked in, they were going to perish in that place. Soon, the Zaft army outside will blow them up, soon, they will die._

"Daddy…" And Shinn's head snapped up at the voice he did not recognize.

It was amazingly Marlene who wept piteously into Kira's shoulder. Her voice was small and sweet, and pure as crystal, and embodied all the hope and belief she had in her very short lifetime.

_How sad, her first word will also be her last. How mocking, that the one person she trusted in the universe would not be there to save her… _

"Marlene, don't cry…be brave…like your parents." Kira whispered, his own voice on the verge of cracking. "They are the bravest people on the planet."

The girl looked at him, and nodded courageously, wiping her tears. The guts she showed almost brought a smile to Shinn's face.

_Now all they had to do was wait. A few moments passed, it were as if death was coming to greet them..._

"Shinn, duck." Was all he heard, and by instinct he obeyed.

Metal sliced metal and someone's kick sent the grid flying across the room and a shout as that person's hand came, "Up, quickly! The kids first!"

"Athrun!" Kira exclaimed.

"Daddy!" The little girl bellowed happily.

Athrun looked stunned for a moment, but the bittersweetness was unmistakable on his face.

Kira boosted the children up and Athrun ushered her along, "Go through here straight down. You'll find another Kira, he won't hurt you." He instructed, "Quickly."

He scanned the room as he pulled Kira up, "Where Lacus? And Sas?"

Kira shook his head miserably. "Gone."

Ooo

"This is Captain of Corona, attention to the terrorist group who call yourselves the Crimson army, clear out from within five hundred space knots of Siseneg. I repeat, clear out from within five hundred space knots from Siseneg, I have Lacus Clyne."

ooo

Chapter 24 delivered in less than three months from the last chapter.

XD I'm trying my best!

I just finished FFXIII, and I've decided I will never regret buying that PS3! The graphics are simply breathtakingly beautiful. Like Advent Children even in-game, can see Lightning's pores. Lolz.

Enough of my inner gamer raving. R & R pls!

Btw, the chapters will get sadder and darker from here. It will end by chapter 27/28 depending on how many words I can squeeze into one to make the chapter digestible. Once again, a big thank you to all who give feedbacks, constructive or otherwise. And thank you for staying with me and this crazy story, I am honestly quite touch when people tell me how much they enjoyed it, or how it made them cry.

Yours

Ming


	25. Chapter 25: Mastermind

Chapter 25: Mastermind

Disclaimer: GS, GSD owned by Bandai.

ooo

"_Come on! Everyone faster!" Shinn shouted to Athrun as he flipped Max over his shoulder so he could run better. Kira was carrying Marlene, and Athrun and Mwu were dragging Light along behind. _

_"Where are you all?" The message came from Shinn's communication device, it was Bethany's voice, she sounded desperate, "The docks are collapsing around us!"_

"_Coming!" Shinn replied somewhat calmly, Athrun frowned, their progress was mainly slowed by the injured and the falling debris; the army outside had started blasting the place apart. At this point Shinn casted a backward glance of disdain at Light, Athrun understood, even though Shinn did not voice his thoughts aloud. _

_Athrun felt the man beside him miss a step, and he dragged him upright to balance him. "Light…? You okay?" Athrun asked as he paused a little. "Come on, we are almost there."_

"_Leave him!" Shinn shouted back accusingly, losing his temper. "He's the reason why we are in this mess! We have no time to pity our enemies now, you should know better!"_

_Athrun merely glared back silently, and was not capable of producing an explanation._

"_He's right…"_

_The sentence, surprisingly, came from Light himself. Athrun turned to look at him in surprise, he had lost quite a lot of blood and was beginning to sound groggy. They needed to hurry and get him treated. _

"…_I'm a crook, why are you trying to save me at the expense of your comrades and children?" He asked quietly, and his statement hit the nail on the head. _

_Everyone turned to look at Athrun, who looked down for no reason, he stood fixated for a moment, then shook his head. _

"…_I can't…I won't leave him…" He muttered, then met the eyes of the people around. Shinn was livid, Mwu just looked detached, whereas Kira nodded and made a gesture. _"_Then let's go!" Kira shouted, breaking up the row that impeded their progress and gave Light a meaningful look. Shinn cursed the sentimental idiots as Light looked pained for a moment, and dropped his head in shame. Athrun thanked Kira silently. _

_The ship came into view._

_Shinn sighed in relief and ran on, "Come on!". _

_Then a thunderous rumble resonating from deep within the ground shook them off their feet. Athrun tightened his hold around Light's torso as there was a flurry of limbs, and he heard the child scream out in terror as the ground opened up and swallowed them. Athrun managed to leap out of the collapsing floorboard's way but his heart froze. _

_It was Max's voice._

_"Max!" _

_He laid Light down and made his way to the side of the chasm where he saw Shinn's hand hanging over the edge, the other hand was desperately clinging to Max's wrist, and Athrun quickly grabbed hold of him. "Hang on!" He shouted as Mwu came up beside him and grabbed on to Shinn's arm alike, Kira and Light were behind them, holding down a panicking Marlene._

_Shinn was obviously trying not to look down as air was being sucked out from the dark hole beneath his feet, and he was being dragged downwards by the terrible force. Athrun knew the damage was done, soon they will be exposed to the deadly vacuum of space. _

_Shinn seemed to realize it too. "Take Max!" He shouted urgently as he shielded Maximillion from the wind and shoved him up at Mwu, who dragged the child over the edge and aside. They were floating off the ground, the place was losing ability to generate even the meager bit of artificial gravity. _

_And if they did not leave soon, they won't be able to leave at all._

"_Leave me! GO!" Shinn ordered heatedly, attempting to wriggle his hand out of Athrun's grip. _

"_NO!" Athrun shouted back, renewing his grip on his arms, refusing to leave his comrade to die. Kira joined in, holding on to Shinn's arm, trying to snatch him from the terrible suction of space._

"_You can't save everybody!" Shinn shouted over the holler of the wind, his hand slipping out of their grasp, centimeter by centimeter as the abyss thirsted to claim him. Athrun realized that Shinn was being stretched like a rubber chicken, being pulled on both ends at once. And his clenched his teeth as the pain seemingly worsened. "Urgh. Just let go…!"_

"_Shut up!" Athrun yelled heatedly, desperately clinging on, but Shinn was not paying attention, he was staring past Athrun's shoulder at something really big judging from the dilation of his pupils. Athrun turned around, a big chunk of the ceiling had seemingly dislodged itself and was flying right at them._

"_LOOK OUT!" Mwu noticed where his gaze was directed, and yelled as he dragged the children out of the way. _

"_LET GO!" Shinn shouted in desperation and Athrun shook his head, tears in his eyes. _

_He could not let his friend die._

_The a third arm joined their efforts, and with a heave, pulled Shinn up and slammed him into the two of them, shoving them out of the way. _

"_LIGHT!" _

_Athrun's voice was lost over the howl of the wind, and he could only watch as the debris smashed Light, flattening him with the horribly sonorous impact. Athurn could almost hear the crunching of bones as he bore a force that no human skeleton-Coordinator or not- was built to withstand._

_But for a final moment he was there, a perfect biological replica of Kira; but with the pain of the world on his brow. He gave but a serene and tired smile at the unlikely company, and gazed pointedly into Athrun's eyes with delibracy. And in that heartbeat Athrun saw him mouth words that no one could hear. _

_Athrun could hardly believe what he said._

_The next instant he was gone, just like that. Soon all that was left of him were splutters of scarlet that floated off the ground in perfect, warm spherical droplets and bits of bone and body matter._

"_Noooo!" _

_Athrun woke up in the infirmary, he was drenched in cold sweat. The military doctor was still bandaging up his wounds…and he noticed there were electrodes placed on his chest, wrists and ankles. _

_Mr Zala, don't get up. I just need a few more minutes." He requested._

"_What's… this?" He questioned shakily._

_The doctor sighed, "Hmm, I think…the viris is beginning to affect your immune system. You probably know that you have a persistent low-grade fever and chest pains, it's pericarditis, likely an opportunistic infection. When you came here, beyond there being rales there were arrhythmias."_

_Athrun merely narrowed his eyes, "…Do you all enjoy it?"_

"_Enjoy what?" The bespectacled man asked nonchalantly._

"_To tell others in a long and convoluted way that 'You are going to die.'? Please, get to the point."_

_The man sighed again, "Forgive my interest in studying an unknown condition, well…it's, shortly put, the primary virus is hiding in your bone marrow and harming nothing else, but the cardiac infection is unanimously fatal if left untreated."_

"_Thank you." He replied sarcastically. He paused, digesting the information. Reality was knocking on his door..._

_"On a side note, any guesses on why is it not infective? It is an endemic in PLANTs now…is it not?"_

"_My guess?" The man considered, "It's may or may not be airborne, but only spreads via certain vectors."_

"_Vectors?"_

"_Like migration of birds or butterflies may carry certain diseases with them, there's no such ecology pattern on PLANTs, my guess is that the virus is deliberately seeded, say in the soil…"_

"_Or water?" Athrun pressed._

"_I beg your pardon…?"_

"_Water. How about water…?" The one liability of the PLANTs was water, and Athrun had been brewing on it for a really long time._

"_There's a possibility of that too." _

_The sight in front of him dissolved._

_Murrue appeared out of nowhere, and the surroundings became much more constraint, it was the corridor of the ship._

"_I…I can't do this." Murrue whispered in a tiny voice, "I…can't watch you fight Spencer."_

_Athrun simply gaze back at her, then nodded once. _

"_Go."_

_Murrue looked up in surprise at the generosity. _

_"…Thank you. Mwu says he wants to stay, though..." In an after tone she implored, "Athrun, please…if possible…spare him."_

" _Spare his life." She whispered, and the military woman transformed totally into a mother in that instant._

"…_I can't promise that." Athrun replied in an equally quiet manner, "Captain Ramius, surely… you understand." He paused, letting the gravity if the situation set in._

"_This is war."_

_Murrue nodded in acceptance, and despair. Athrun looked away, averting his gaze._

"_Captain Ramius…I have a favor to ask."_

"…_Go ahead."_

_He looked at her, right in the eye. "Don't let this affect the morale of the soldiers, say to everyone that you're on a mission to take Max and Marlene with you back to Orb."_

_She paused for a moment, shaking her head. "That's sounds fair…but…they won't come with me..."_

"_I'll make them." Athrun replied, appearing unfazed, even though he was afraid she will refuse. He had no one else to turn to. "But please, take them back to Orb with you."_

_Eventually she nodded, "Okay…" _

"_Thank you, please…take care of them…"_

_Murrue disappeared, and Lacus appeared in front of him. She gave him an angelic smile that caused his insides to tighten. This was the way he remembered her, no matter how long has passed. _

"_Athrun…can I…?" Lacus questioned gingerly._

_He merely nodded wordlessly, Lacus came and sat down behind him in an equally quiet manner, slowly, she leaned her head on his back, her cheeks on between his shoulder blades. He felt her sigh, it was warm, and the fabric of his uniform stirred._

"_Kira…doesn't seem to remember anything…"_

_He nodded. "Give him time…"_

"_What if he doesn't…?" Lacus whispered in distraught, "…know me anymore?"_

_Athrun felt his heart wrench, he had never seen Lacus like this._

_Then suddenly she was whisked away from his side._

"_Lacus!"_

_She was gone in a heartbeat, and he found himself staring at the surface of an unbroken lake of water. The waters were deep and cold. _

_Then blood blossomed across the surface, and he caught a figure beneath the waters, the figure was the source of the blood._

"_Kira!"_

_Kira lay dead, fragmented and bloody. Athrun could only recognize him by half his severed head. _

_He stood in front of himself, laughing. _

_Useless fool… You killed your own mother, abandoned your children, and watched the clone die. Your selfishness cost your best friend his lover. You can't save anyone. You are an abomination who deserves nothing, you should not exist…_

_You should become me._

ooo

Kira opened his eyes, sat up on his bed, gazing at nothing.

It all seemed like a dream, or a nightmare.

Since he found himself stranded on earth, he had known no companionship till he met Nicol, then Athrun, then there came a woman into his life who told her she was her wife, and truth to be told, he loved her like there was no one else in the world when she was around. And if possible, he would have preferred if he could take her away to a quiet place away from the war and have a family. With her, he did not mind leaving the world behind.

_And now she's gone…_

He gazed at his palms and tears fell upon them, and he clenched them into fists.

"Lacus…"

_He can't even protect that one woman who mattered to him._

He had stopped Athrun from apologizing, however terribly tempting it was to have someone else to blame. He was disgusted at himself that he harbored those thoughts at all, and Athrun must have known it, because there was such guilt and pain in his expression when he looked at Kira. For someone who always beats himself up even when nobody expects him to, he's beating himself up for it even more now.

Kira turned to look at Athrun, his friend had fallen into an exhausted sleep after clearing up the aftermath, though 'fainting' seemed a more appropriate term to describe 'losing consciousness upon touching the bedsheets'. In essence, he simply curled up on the bed about twenty five hours ago, and had been sleeping soundly since. Kira was the one who eventually plucked off his shoes and laid a blanket over his friend's prone and unguarded form. Kira stood watching over him for a while after that, and he knew Athrun had been running a mild fever since their bare escape from Siseneg.

_After Light died, they managed to drag a stunned Athrun back safely onto the Eternal catapulted them into space. Kira had never seen a ship go from stationary into maximum speed in less than 30 seconds. The upgraded Eternal flew like a bird, and they just managed to clear the place when the Zaft army suddenly stopped blasting. Kira guessed they received orders that the place was to be kept intact for future use, and the Corona ordered them to clear out from the area. The Crimson army regrouped at L5, nearer to the PLANTs. _

_Athrun was clearly emotionally and physically drained, and they speculated among themselves what happened between Light and Athrun when no one else is around. He was completely and frighteningly quiet for a few hours when he was dragged back to safety, like he has turned into a doll, and allowed the medic to dress his wounds without protests. Kira could onyl imagine what he was rehearsing in his mind over and over, he was taking all the blame._

_Then the captain of the Corona requested a private audience with the Crimson Warlord…_

_Athrun went alone and came back alone, no one knew how it went, what they talked about. Then he called a marathon meeting with the generals that lasted for the next five hours. After which, it was announced that the Archangel is leaving the fleet. Murrue came quietly to Athrun after the meeting._

"Argh…"

And Kira looked up from his thoughts in alarm.

"Athrun?"

His friend did not wake, but his face revealed a trace of pain and anguish. Then a stream of tears began to trickle down the side of his face and onto the down pillow. Kira took a piece of tissue, and dabbed at Athrun's face, then he realized that his forehead was quite hot and his breathing raspy. He wondered what his friend was dreaming about, too many things had happened all in such a short span of time.

And he began to writhe, as if in his dream he was running from something.

"Athrun?" Kira asked, shaking his roommate's shoulder.

Athrun did not wake, but started thrashing a little more. He coughed, and clutched his chest, the coughing did not stop for the next one or two minutes. Kira almost panicked, he went o his friend's side. "A…Athrun? Come on, wake up." He pleaded with zeal as he patted his face urgently.

"Kira!" Athrun suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at him, he sighed in relief.

"You gave me a fright…!" Kira half-yelled, but Athrun grabbed his arm, panting.

"…You're okay…!" He seemed to mutter breathlessly, as if reassuring himself, his eyes were wide and bloodshot.

"Of course I'm alright." Kira merely nodded, noting that Athrun's breathing slowed, but still sounded a little strained. "What about you?"

"I'm fine..."

Kira could not find a retort to that standard reply, however worried he was. Eventually, he nodded grudgingly. "You are sick..." He said as he eased Athrun's hand off, and obtained a wetted cloth, dropping it unceremoniously on his friend's face as he took a seat beside him.

"Thanks." Athrun whispered appreciatively as he shifted the cloth a little from his eyes, then implored, "Kira?"

"What?" He snapped.

"…Are you angry?"

Kira was, very, for reasons unfathomable to himself.

_He knew what was happening to Athrun, and he hated his dishonesty but could not protest against it. If he did that, Athrun will know that Dr Sas spilt the beans, and that was precisely what Kira promised not to let Athrun know. It was a vicious cycle, one resulting from knowing something important but not being able to say it. And it costs him frustrations to no end, it was not easy to bear this terrible secret. Plus, Athrun has the tendency to shun anyone trying to show him concern…and Kira knew there was nothing he could do… _

_Except to watch his friend die… _

"I'm worried, maybe…Whatever." Kira dismissed the topic curtly, he cast a fleeting gaze at Athrun, hoping to shake him off his trail.

Maybe Athrun knew that he knows more than he should, maybe he did not. Let him think that Kira was angry about Lacus.

Athrun was quiet, and seemed to catch his breath for a few moments.

"…Kira?"

Kira softened, it was obvious that Athrun wanted to talk, and it does not happen often.

"Yeah?" He replied eventually.

"…Thank goodness…"

"…Why would you say that?"

Athrun had a haunted look on his face, as if recalling things he did not want to remember. He gazed blankly at the ceiling for a few moments, then closed his eyes wearily.

"I watched him die…I couldn't save him."

Kira started, he knew who Athrun was talking about.

"It wasn't your fault." Kira replied, "…just as what happened to Lacus wasn't your fault…"

"I wanted to…to save him." Athrun whispered miserably, "Before he… he was…looking right at me. And he…said something…"

"What… did he say?" Kira asked in spite of himself, genuinely curious.

Athrun sighed, and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.

Eventually he spoke, very quietly.

"He said '…Thank you…'"

Athrun placed a hand over his face, "Why would he say that…?...I didn't do anything for him…Shinn was right…", he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clenching his fist.

"…I can't save anyone." He muttered quietly.

Kira studied Athrun. Silence stood between the two of them.

"But…You did save him." Kira replied, and paused as Athrun gazed at him.

"Kindness… speaks louder than a thousand words. And you did just that, you showed him mercy even though he was an enemy. When he sacrificed himself and pushed us away, he was trying to repay that kindness..."

Athrun gazed at him, pain in his eyes.

"He saved you because you gave him hope for tomorrow."

"…No…!" Athrun only shook his head irately, he got up with difficulty, winching at the wounds on his arm and legs.

"Tell me, what good is hope? Kira?" Athrun questioned aggressively, a terrible pain in his gaze, he shook his head in disbelief. "…He's…!"

Kira only shook his head solemnly.

"No one can live without hope…" Kira sighed as he went on.

"…Hope saved me…you saved me."

Athrun remained silent, and turned a little to look at him in wonder, it was Kira's turn to hesitate.

"When I lost my memory…I was dumped on earth. I knew no one, remembered no one, and the first people I approached robbed me of the only thing I had on me… my uniform. They stripped me and beat me up and left me to die, I didn't, and I…" He paused and swallowed to ease the dryness in his throat as he needed to tell the difficult part.

"…I sifted through the trash to find food and clothing. I became friends with the others who survived on that rubbish, drug addicts, criminals and ex-convicts...I learnt to pick-pocket tourists and steal from groceries stalls, I killed and cooked strays for dinner. I did…horrible things…because I had no choice." He saw Athrun's eye widening, but he looked away and went on.

"The gang there tolerated an extra mouth to feed because I was a Coordinator with fast hands and responses un-retarded by crack and booze...I can't remember anything, and I didn't want to starve, so I did as I was told..."

Athrun gazed at him with horror, and sat up a little, there was no condemnation in his gaze, only compassion.

Kira could not help but smile grimly at his gentle friend.

"…And in those hours where I slept under a moldy blanket and a tent made out of trash bags, afraid that rats would nibble off my fingers and toes while I slept. I would lie with my eyes wide-opened, wondering why I'm still alive, what was the point of me existing for another day? I could have done it like one of the addicts, steal some ware that's supposed to be paddled, get high, to a land of happiness, then wither away, or die from an intentional overdose. Drugs, tobacco, alcohol, whatever. Naturals, Coordinators, all the same…we will all die one day." He paused to let out a sigh. "But…I didn't want to, do you know why?" Kira questioned rhetorically.

Athrun did not reply, he was evidently shaken by the tale, and slowly shook his head.

"It's too scary. Dying is one thing, but it's to die a second time that's too terrible to contemplate, and I didn't want to…I didn't want to waste away like one of them without leaving a mark in this world…"

Athrun looked at him with pain in his gaze, and he frowned as he questioned.

"Kira…what's this… second death?"

Kira gave a sad smile.

"…To be forgotten."

Athrun looked away in grief, and Kira knew he had struck a chord in his heart. He waited as he watched his friend's hand enclose over the ornaments that hung about his neck, they were a pair of rings that Kira had no chance to ask him about. But Kira knew them to be wedding rings, and that they meant a lot to his very sentimental friend; _just as Cagalli meant a lot to him_.

"Then, I was found by a group of EAF soldiers whom I had stolen from, they weren't happy, and were extra unhappy when they saw that I was Coordinator. They were going to kill me when Nicol came along, then I remembered you…" He turned to look at Athrun full in the face. "'Chairman Zala sanctioned murder', the soldier had shouted. And I had…a vision, a memory. We were both in the torture chamber, and Light…was there, I was taken, they hit me to make you reveal information. But what made me convinced that you can help me, was that you never bowed to those criminals…" He paused.

"They can torture you all they want, but they never managed to break you…You reassured me even when we were both interrogated. You took care of me when I came on the ship, you introduced me to everyone and warned them not to bully me. You heap food on my plate when I was still utterly embarrassed about eating with you all. You tell Lacus not to cry and lend her a shoulder when she does, and I know you visit Nicol's father and smuggles in what an old man craves, like red wine and dark chocolates..." Kira smiled at Athrun's ears turning pink.

"You always keep your promises and take good care of people around you, like you have done since we were small…..."

Kira and Athrun widened their eyes unanimously.

"Kira…?" Athrun asked hopefully.

Kira remembered, just like that, there was no light shining from above or anything like that. He just remembered.

_Their childhood escapades sneaking into the staffroom, Archangel, Fllay, the desert war where he met Cagalli again, their big fight Aegis versus Strike, waking up in Lacus's arms. Fighting Rau Le Crusade. Cagalli in a wedding dress, fighting again, it's a wonder how they have not managed to kill each other. Meeting Shinn, Spencer and the others…_

And he looked at Athrun through renewed eyes, and stared at the little mechanical bird dozing on the bookshelf.

_Ah, how could he forget Tori?_

"Tori." He called, a warm, fuzzy familarity in his heart. Tori was his friend. "Here."

The bird perked up a little, and gingerly hopped into Kira's open palm, gazing at him curiously. It was a miraculously neat little piece of programming, and had lasted through the years, through space, winter and fire. Kira touched its little head fondly, then stretched out his hand, and transferred Tori into its maker's hands. Athrun had tears in his eyes as he received the mechanical bird, and he turned to Kira.

"…Welcome back."

Kira smiled back, "I'm back." He said simply.

"Now, to bring my wife back."

Just like that, the easy mood turned sour again, Kira cursed himself inwardly as Athrun sighed,

"Kira…I…"

"Athrun-the-forgetful-Zala, this is my ultimatum, if you should attempt to apologize one more time I shall unrepentantly smack the living daylights out of you…" Kira warned, interrupting him.

Athrun fell silent, then said, "I met Lunamaria…the captain of the Corona." Kira perked up, "What did she say?"

"She promised not to hurt Lacus….She also asked me to be careful, she thinks there is a rat in our fleet. They have been constantly receiving information of our whereabouts from above…and she also says it is likely that Zaft intends to use the clones that are in Siseneg to build an army of mobile suit pilots." Kira gulped, it was very bad news.

_On their fleet, they have Mwu, Andrew, Shinn, Shiho, two of the triplets, himself and six others he considered good pilots. But there was no way they could stand up to a hundred Kiras. He was not bragging, but if they were genetically identical to him, then they will need no training, time is running short._

Kira heaved a sigh. "What else…what of Dr Sas?"

"The odd thing is...he's separated from Lacus…" Athrun said grimly. "Luna says he's in one of the infirmaries."

"Special treatment eh…?" Kira muttered, something was nagging at him from the back of his mind. "It's…strange."

"I tell you what's strang-er, Luna said Spencer reported that there are two Kiras…I think Light was impostering as you there…the general of Orb, which convinced the PLANTs that Orb is in the efforts of purging us as well. And I can't possibly tell her that her Kira is…" Athrun stopped short, quite unable to mention that taboo word.

"And…Nicol's dad mentioned that there's this business man who hovers around Tad Elthman since a few months ago. And Light mentioned something about a group of business men who was interested in making profit out of war, the…thirteenth, he is actually Giovanni Lacey…"

"Yes!" Kira exclaimed, "Chairman Clyne mentioned something about the businessmen too, the death dealers..."

"But something doesn't add up, I heard of the entire account from Mwu, if Giovanni Lacey was the money and brain and Tad Elthman was the authoritative hands, why would either of them let each other live till now? And I would somehow expect that there will be someone more…intellectual involved. The well-timed bioterrorism, the blue-rinse bombs that killed Yzak's family…maybe even the plague in PLANTs now. Giovanni Lacey was somehow involved according to Yzak, but Light had called someone, 'father', and this fella is the one who made all those Kira clones…"

Kira muttered. "For the part about them not murdering each other yet, simple, they have something to threaten each other with."

"Threaten…I've been thinking for a really long time…about who could be the spy on board…"

"What are you guesses?" Kira questioned, sitting a little closer and dropping his voice to a whisper, as if afraid the walls will hear. Athrun turned to look at him in the eye.

"After hearing uncle's Clyne's account…I am convinced that this person is familiar with the various Chairmen of PLANTs, at least all the way from Lacus's father. There are only two people I know on this fleet that fit this criteria, but both seem so unlikely."

"Who?"

"First…Murasaki san."

Kira held his breath as Athrun went on analyzing, "She has been serving as supreme Councilor since the time of uncle Clyne, she's been on our fleet for as long as we ran into trouble. She's a bioengineer by profession."

"How did you know that?"

"…She's my mother's colleague."

"Who's… the second?" Kira asked in a whisper, but he already knew…

_They had taken the unconscious Athrun away, and Kira was dragged forcibly unright…he could feel it dimly as men grabbed his arms unkindly and dumped him onto a sort of a contraption table, the metal was cold beneath his touch. Light appeared, gazing at him emotionlessly as he was strapped down to the table. Then came a men holding a syringe filled with clear crimson fluid. He looked happier than he ever looked while he saw him in PLANTs. _

'_Nighty night, Hibiki's son. I won't kill you, that's being too nice to him. I think I will just destroy your intellect, let him watch his creation rot…'_

"It's Dr Sas." Both of them said unanimously. They stare at each other for a few moments after that, realizing that it all made sense.

_Kira could barely breathe at the revelation, it also means that Lacus..._

He stood up suddenly, and began to change into his pilot suit.

"Kira…? Kira!" Athrun said in alarm as he got up with effort, a hand on his chest, he understood what Kira was going to do. Tori took off from Athrun's lap and hovered over Kira, wanting to follow.

"Don't go alone, it's too dangerous!" Athrun held his elbow to stop him as he was almost done, his face was white with fear.

"Lacus is the one in danger. That crook orchestrated all this! If what he wants is me, he won't hesitate to hurt Lacus…!" He retorted as he shook Athrun's hand off roughly and began to stalk out of the room.

"WE don't know what he wants, be logical! Kira, don't be stupid… this is suicide!" He exclaimed, and he stood to grab Kira by the shoulder this time, "Listen! I have an i…"

"Let go!" Kira shouted as he shoved Athrun away, and apparently Kira pushed him harder than he thought, for his friend hit the wall, slid onto the floor, and remain quite still after that.

Kira stood rooted to the spot. His heart skipped a bit.

He simply stared at his friend's limp form for a little while, quite unable to believe what was happening. Tori floated down, and landed on Athrun's shoulder, worried, the bird pecked at his sideburns and nudged his ear.

"…Athrun?"He questioned shakily.

There was no response.

"Athrun." Kira squatted down to examine his friend's face and Tori hopped over onto Kira's shoulder.

Athrun did not stir, his brow was knitted together, and coated with a sheen of perspiration. Kira held his shoulders, and began to shake him. He had never been so scared in his life.

"Hey…!"

Then Athrun opened his eyes blearily, blinked a few times and looked around until he found Kira. Athrun took his arm, and Kira released a breath he was holding, shivering. Those hands were so cold and pale.

"What…happened?" Athrun muttered, he seemed to collect himself a little with a few labored breaths.

"Sorry…" Kira shook his head, and whispered apologetically.

Athrun shook his head weakly, and squeezed out a tiny smile, "It's not you, it's me. Don't apologize."

Kira swallowed a lump in his throat, his eyes felt hot.

"…Is this why… you sent Max and Marlene away?"

"…"

"Don't act dumb."

Athrun hesitated, and eventually, he nodded. He looked down as if to mock himself.

"I can't have them… see me like this…"

Kira looked away.

Athrun swallowed grimly, then seemed to collect himself with some effort as he requested quietly, "Can you…? I can't seem to…"

"Yeah, of course. Here…" Kira replied as he helped Athrun up, and frowned, worried as he realized how much his friend was leaning on his arm for support. He shifted so that he could bear a little more of Athrun's weight, and help him to the nearest chair in the room.

"Thanks, bud." Athrun whispered appreciatively as he sat down, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Kira, if you really need to go there…There is only one way… two can play the game…" He declared in a rushed whisper.

"…What are you talking about?" Kira asked in spite of himself. Now, he knew he had no heart to leave, but Lacus was in danger. He clenched his teeth, torn, and combed a frustrated hand through his hair. Athrun seemed to have no such reservations,

"Light acted as you…this time you can go back and act…as you. Dr Sas does not know two things, that Light had died, and that I haven't. If Light succeeded in killing me, Dr Sas would expect him to return. Dr Sas will kill you the moment he sees you, but Light…" Athrun said it all very quickly. Kira's eyes widened, it was plausible, he nodded.

"You must play the game of deception…It isn't much, but I'll tell you every conversation I had with Light, memorize them, especially what happened within the clone room. Learn to walk and talk like him, become him. It's still a long shot, but it's better than having no chance at all."

Kira swallowed, and nodded bravely. "You're right, I'll try."

"There is only one thing, Light said his father is going to put him down if he fails again. You must somehow convince him that you have succeeded in killing me this time."

"How…?"

Ooo

Lacus watched as a woman in white walked in with all regality, two officers trailing behind her, and it was not hard to see that she's the highest ranking officer in the place. Lacus recognized her immediately, but she made it a point to look intimidated so as not to spoil the show.

So she shrank back to one corner of her cell and hid her relief.

"Open this." Lunamaria Hawke said shortly to the prison guard, the guard unlocked the door.

"Leave us, I want to interrogate the prisoner...personally." She ordered as she cast Lacus a nasty look. The two men following behind her gave a salute, and left, followed by the guard.

When they were alone, the woman turned towards her.

"Lacus...!" Lunamaria whispered as she took her cap off, all pretense gone, "Are you okay? Did those hot-blooded youngsters hurt you?"

Lacus smiled gratefully, she had been so scared, "I'm fine." She answered, "Now that you're here."  
Luna forced out a smile, "If other people said that, I would have called them flaky." She paused, "All that aside, our time is short, listen to me first."

Lacus nodded, and went forward, pressing herself against the metal bars.

"Orders from above says to bring you back to PLANTs, but it won't happen. I contacted Athrun..."

Lacus widened her eyes, "You did?"

"Just now, in private, only my vice captain knows. He's going to save you before we reach the PLANTs, I'll try to find excuses like refueling and such to buy time, he says two weeks is enough."

Lacus nodded, "Thank you."  
"And he asked me to relay the following message, 'Your knight in shining white armor is coming.'"

For some reason, Lacus could not bring herself to be happy.

"He is...?"

"He's your husband, woman. Of course he should be worried." Luna teased, but frowned as he read the look on Lacus's face.

"Lacus...?"

She could only shake her head, "Something happened, and...Kira doesn't..." She choked a little, "...quite remember me..."

"...Oh my...really?" Luna exclaimed, "I'm sorry I didn't kn..."

"It's okay..." Lacus said quickly, "You could not have known." She bit her lip.

"It hurts...when I think of those times we had, and the fact that he doesn't remember any of it. He used to remember the important dates and how I like my coffee made. But now he doesn't..."  
Luna nodded, she knew there was nothing she could say.

"But...he's sweet in other ways...he'd make me origami flowers and volunteer to comb my hair."  
Lacus had a wan smile on her face, but she looked persistently at the floor. "In the past...we had an agreement to not have children, because he did not know what he wanted. And because I chose to follow him, I did not dare anchor myself to anything. Not to Plants, not to Orb. Kira is like that, he is tied to the people he loves, the way Cagalli tied him to Orb."

"It's more like Kira tied himself." Luna said quietly, "It's called commitment."

"Yes...but…I did not want to take that freedom, I chose Kira...but somehow I don't think he chose me. He didn't cheat on me or anything..." She added quickly as she saw Luna widen her eyes.

"Just...our relationship is so…sterile. Happy, but…uneventful. Sometimes I'm a little envious of you and Cagalli, to have a love that's so exciting..."

"You meant traumatic, right?" Luna said, amused. "He must have been blind then." Luna smile thinly as Lacus gazed at her questioningly.

"…To not choose you."

Lacus smiled back, "But now...He chose me...I just know..."

"That's good, his amnesia is not all bad then, remember to bonk him on the head a little more. And don't cry..." Luna whispered as tears slid down the songstress's face. She sniffled as Luna touched her cheek.  
"I'm okay...it's just, I'm so worried. Scared that he wouldn't come, afraid that he will get hurt if he does… I...!" She whimpered, and drew a shuddering breath.

"I can't lose him again..." She muttered miserably, "I...can't..."

"Damsels in distress don't get to choose..." Luna held her shoulders through the bars, "He chose you...remember? Wait for him, believe him, he will come back for you. Hush, you have the one man who loves you beyond the entire universe wrapped around your little finger, you have no right to cry..."

"What do u mean by, 'Come back'?"

Luna paused, "He's been on this ship, he went on mission with Spencer and them all, but got separated. I have yet to hear the rest from Emily..."

Lacus widened her eyes.

"Lacus?"

"Captain!" a soldier barged in and saluted, Luna quickly waved her hat threateningly at Lacus and sneered "You'd better cooperate." Then she turned to the man, "What is it? It better be good."

"General Yamato is back, mdm."  
ooo

Tad Elthman opened his eyes.

It was early morning, and the sun was not up yet. He laid comfortably in bed, a woman with silver hair in his arms, their bodies naked beneath the sheets.

He looked at that woman now, she was beautiful even if age has caught up with her a little. And in Tad's opinion, is still one of the loveliest woman in the world. The unplanned scenario just sort of happened last night, first, it was drinking in the office's mini bar to cheer her up, then as he began to send her home. Things just happened, and progressed.

'_Woman in love turn stupid and forgiving.'_

He ran a hand through her soft, lustrous hair tenderly. Pained.

How strange, every single one of their intimate encounters had been a one-night stand, and so far he has not regretted a single one. How strange, it was this woman who had been standing quietly by his side, and he had never noticed this formidable force. He had never seen this invulnerable woman become mortal either, until last night.

Now he was fully awake, and his problems came back to him in full and with interest. But this time, it did not seem much as terrible a burden, now that he had someone whom he can trust to bear it with him. He may have disappointed her in the past, but he swore to himself he will not disappoint her again.

So he removed himself from the bed, tucking her in carefully and leaving a note about where he was going. He put on his garments with purpose, and called important men he needed to call to prepare for war. The most important part of the enterprise being to harvest what is at hand. He was informed regarding the clone army, it was an invaluable source. And the plague, there was only one method that can put a stop to the hellhound of madness…

Ooo

"Wow…" Dr Sas exclaimed as he watched Light walked into the room, Dr Sas was sitting on the chair, looking every bit like he owned the place. It confirmed Kira's theory. The second thing that caught his attention was the faith badge on the tabletop...

"You really managed." He asked conversationally.

"Yes, father." Kira fought to keep his voice unhurried and steady, even though his heart was pounding like crazy. The ironic part of his mission was that he had to pretend he remembered nothing even though now he remembers everything. He had to pretend that this man was his sun, his moon his god even though all he wanted to strangle him for hurting his best friend.

"Is Athrun really dead?"

"Yes." He replied once again in a monotonous voice.

"How did you kill him?" Dr Sas asked, Kira got more angry that he was asking in a more-than-casual manner befitting for the weather. But he reined it in and put on a face of nothing but nonchalance.

"We fought, with swords, he could not hold a candle against me."

"What took you so long to return?"

This part was unrehearsed, Kira swallowed briefly.

"…The actual one found me, he went insane when he saw his friend's bloody corpse on the floor. And he…transformed…he still looks the same, just he became faster and stronger, but the look in his eyes…" Dr Sas nodded thoughtfully, "Go on."

"It's like he's another person." Kira finished lamely, trying his best to describe the Seed mode from his near-death experience with Yzak.

Dr Sas nodded, pleased. "Indeed he has awakened to phase one…"

"But I won, Yamato is quite awful at hand-to-hand actually, Athrun Zala is a little more fun."

"What if…I don't believe you?"

Kira's jaw became a little slacker.

"You can just make it all up and save yourself." Dr Sas pointed out lightly, he sounded amused. "I heard from young Spencer and Emily, there were no bodies…"

"But there is blood if you know where to look, as the place was breaking down I disposed of both in a chasm. They are probably floating somewhere in space now."

"Fair, no bodies." Dr Sas raised his hand, "How about some proof like I asked you?"

"Proof?" Kira was thinking quickly, unable to decide if he should say Dr Sas did not ask, or he forgot. He was not ready to part with the trump card so soon.

"Yes, give it to me." Dr Sas demanded.

"Okay." Kira decided.

The other man look surprised, Kira swallowed as he removed the chain from around his neck. He pressed it into Dr Sas's opened palm. It was the chain that held the purple pendant and a pair of bloodied wedding rings…

Dr Sas scrutinized the items, he knew that they had never left Athrun's person, and Athrun counted on him knowing.

"Well done."

ooo

Cagalli stared at the miracle that landed at the spaceport, and watched as Murrue walked down the ramp with Maximillion and Marlene.

She resisted the urge to cry and open her arms and embrace the pair at the same time. Instead, she simply extended a formal welcome...

ooo ooo

Hi all! This is Mingathur, the months are passing by so quicky! Haha, thank you for still following this story despite it being slow and all. Thank you for all the encouraging reviews and PMs!

This chapter is quite long, and reveals finally the identity of the spy. It's ending...hang in there!

These few months I'll be bz with wedding preparation, but I'll take time to write, no worries!

Till chapter next!

Yours

Ming


	26. Chapter 26: Left Behind

Chapter 26: Left Behind

_Kira stood at the docks kitted out in his full-fledge pilot suit completed with ranks._

_Everyone knew the plan, everyone knew the drill. Kira will pretend to 'escape' from the Fenrir by blasting the launching chutes apart, then the rest of the army will start blasting. A portion will stay in space whereas those who are good with guns will scatter themselves and start moving towards their destination._

_But Kira was not leaving, and everyone had to wait. _

_Suddenly he turned and looked at Meyrin. _

"_Kira?" She asked in alarm as Kira took two large steps towards her, and took one of her hands, he was like a little boy holding his mother's hands._

"_Please…Take care of Athrun." _

_He said this with his head bowed, Meyrin recognized his plea. She only sighed, halfway between being flattered and annoyed._

"_Why is everyone saying it as if you have to say it for it to be done? Marlene sort of did this too."_

_Kira looked a little embarrassed, but he shook his head. " I mean it. After I leave, there's only you left."_

"_Me left to do what?"_

_Kira was silent for a moment._

"_To protect him…"_

_So she understood, and took it upon herself to check on Athrun at least twice a day. __And one day when she could not find him in the cafeteria during breakfast she got some soup and bread and went to his room. Strangely, there was no answer._

_Just as she was standing outside, feeling dejected and wondering what she should do next. Bethany passed by._

"_Looking for Chairman Zala?"_

_She nodded piously, "Do you know where he is?"_

_The other woman nodded._

_So she found herself in the infirmary two minutes later, staring at the still figure lying on the bed. _

"_Athrun?"_

_He was asleep, but his face was pale. __She knew something was not right, he was lying on his side and covered by a warm woolen blanket all the way up to his chin, but was still shivering slightly when she touched him. She laid her hand on his, noticing that his nails were purplish, not healthy and pink like her own. There appeared to be bruises on his arms. _

_She laid aside the tray off food, and inched off his sleeve to reveal purple and blue pinprick discolorations all over his arm…_

_He mouthed something, but she could not hear words, only a rush of air that escaped from his chapped lips. _

"_Hey…" She called gently. "Athrun…"_

"…_Cagalli?"_

_She felt a little stab of jealousy, he missed her, not Meyrin. _

_It was always her and not Meyrin._

"_Cagalli." He whispered as his hand enclosed over hers, and clung on desperately. His effort so piteous, it was enough to make her heart wrench. His hand was hot, she realized he was running a fever._

"_Wake up, Athrun. I'm… not the one you are looking for." She said, jiggling him a little but did not have the heart to draw her hand out of his grip. "Wake up."_

_Gradually, he opened his eyes. When he realized it was her and not his wife he released her hand with a muttered apology and a look of utter disappointment._

" _Meyrin." He greeted as he averted her gaze. _

"_Yep, it's me. You missed breakfast. So I brought you something to munch."_

"_I'm not hungry." He replied instantly, and Meyrin recognized his tone as the conversation being over._

"_But you should eat..."_

"_I said I'm not hungry..." He interrupted her, and Meyrin paused._

"_Is this about the kids…and her?" She asked instead, unwilling to retreat just yet, and noted then Athrun looked away even more. _

"_Why did you lie?" She questioned wearily, "You…don't have to make them hate you if it hurts so much…"_

_He did not reply, but sorrow crossed his features._

_Meyrin sighed, "Kira asked me to take care of you, now I see why." She took his hand, and noticed the bandages around his wrist, and the bandages were stained with pus and dried blood. Somehow by reflex, he withdrew his hand as he muttered coldly. _

"_Don't touch me…"_

_Well, if you say so. I happened to be your daughter's messenger…" She replied as she fished out a hairtie from her pocket, it was red, with a little cube that contained a mini Haro inside. _

_There was immediate recognition in his eyes. _

"_What…did Marlene say?" Athrun asked, his voice shaking uncharacteristically._

"_She said nothing, as usual." With that, Meyrin took Athrun's hand once again, this time the non-bandaged one, and loped it over his wrist. And Athrun did not protest, he merely watched her as she secured it. _

"_It only came with a note that says, 'Give Daddy.' You know what these are?"_

_Athrun nodded slowly as he looked at the red hairtie with an infinitely tender expression, and Meyrin realized it was an expression of a father. Of a love so unconditional and pure that it can be described as being helpless; helplessly and hopelessly in love. She thought about her own family, and suddenly missed them. _

"_I gave them to her during their sixth birthday…these are…were her favorite. It was a pair…" His voice was but a whisper as he slowly opened the cube, and the mini Haro's eyes began to glow and it beeped once, then leapt out from its casing yelling, 'Marlene! Marlene! Let's play!'_

_Meyrin beamed girlishly, "How cute. It's like the nano version of Mr Pink!"_

"_Nay, this one actually obeys." Athrun said wistfully as he gave clear directives to the little pink globe bouncing around on the floor. "Pinky, come back. Marlene's not here."_

'_Not here? Why?' It questioned._

_Athrun did not answer for a time. The mini Haro looked crestfallen, but bounced up onto the bed and back into the casing, 'Yes, master.'. After that one tiny mechanical hand actually reached from where its ears should have been and closed the casing back, then the light in its eyes went off._

_A moment of silence prevailed. _

"_If you really loved them so much… why… did you send them away?" She asked quietly._

_Athrun could only shook his head, gazing ruefully at the ceiling. "I can't…" _

_He sighed, and closed his eyes, like someone remembering something he did not want to remember. She waited, she always waits, she was always patient with him when he needed to find words._

"_I can't…I don't know how..." He repeated, and he sighed heavily._

_Meyrin nodded, then waited serenely, encouraging him to go on sharing his thoughts._

"_Sometimes…I just …before…" He stopped short, and did not continue, Meyrin almost could see the tears he could not afford to shed. _

_So she questioned, "Before what…?"_

_He bit his lip, reining in the rest of his words and did not continue. _

_He shook his head, seemingly unable to go on. Meyrin took him in her arms, cradling his head in an one-arm hug, and Athrun did not withdraw from her. The side of his face was burning with fever, the expression on his face so solemn and tired that Meyrin's heart went out to him. _

"_You worry too much, everything is alright…It's not as if this is the last time you're going to see them, and who knows, by then Marlene might be chatting like a magpie. Imagine in the future you'll be asking your teenagers to talk a little less."_

_Hesitantly, he nodded in agreement, even though he looked like he was begging in his heart for her to stop. _

_She sensed there was something she does not know, and cannot know. She knew better than to ask, Athrun offers information only on an as-needed basis. But he clung to her as would a drowning man hold on to a lifeboat, and in turn, she held on to him, he seemed so frail. For some reason, there was such a terrible pain that emanated from his still form._

_It was not just emotional pain, it seems like it was actual, physical pain; he appeared to be a little breathless, his breathing turned ragged, and he clutched the side of his body. His brow was peppered with perspiration._

"_Athrun, are you hurting?" She asked, alarmed. _

_He shook his head, clenched his teeth and replied, "…I'm fine."_

_She was not convinced, but she released him. Athrun gave a sigh, a heavy, heavy sigh that embodied all his pain._

_After a while he spoke. "Meyrin."_

"_Yeah?"_

_Athrun did not reply, but looked at her, just looked. And after a moment or two she started blushing a little._

"_What? What is it…?"_

_He gazed at her gratefully, this time, he smiled._

"…_Thanks."_

_She nodded, smiling back. _

"_Happy birthday."_

"_Thanks... for that too."_

"_And Athrun…Everything will be fine. You…will never die." She muttered, and she did not know why she said that. But Athrun turned to gaze at her. "What…?"_

"_To die in the literal sense, is to stop existing physically. But to die eternally…is to be forgotten…"_

_Athrun looked pensive, "Strange…Kira said that too…"_

_Meyrin laughed a little, " I think we quoted the same source, from Benjamin Franklin, he said 'If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, you either write something worth reading or do things worth writing.'"_

"_Did I…do any of that…?" He questioned in all seriousness. _

_Meyrin was frightened, it actually implied Athrun real question._

_Will I be forgotten?_

_She answered him frankly because it seemed like what was needed._

"_Athrun, you did both…"_

_You haven't lived in vain… _

ooo

Kira went to Lacus's cell.

She huddled in one corner of the prison chamber, her wrists cuffed. Kira felt his blood pressure rise, he had to continue to allow his lover to endure this sort of humiliation.

"Who…are you?" She questioned as he walked in, she got up, and went to the bars and grasped them.

He did not reply, he could not, he was afraid his emotions will show in his voice, and he simply could not afford to do that in front of the guard. He simply threw the trinkets at Lacus, he had somehow wrestled them back from Dr Sas in the most gentle way he could conceive.

Lacus caught them gingerly.

"You are just a pretty caged bird, Lacus Clyne. Have you not heard about the mutiny? He's gone…" He paused.

"So is your beloved Yamato…"

Lacus widened her eyes, and covered a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob. Kira resisted the urge to run in and hold her and hug her and tell her the truth, but he could do no better than stare as she whimpered and cried because the guard was around. He had to carry on the deception, the information disseminated has to coincide, just in case Dr Sas decides to interrogate Lacus. But somehow he also had to ensure she keeps the items.

It was then Tori wormed out of his shirt. It flew around the room, and landed on Kira's shoulder, he swallowed and stopped himself from screaming, he did not even know Tori had followed him. Lacus gazed at the little bird, as if mesmerized. Seeing Lacus, Tori flew over, and landed in her open palms.

"Tori…?" She whispered brokenly.

"Keep that thing." He decided on the spot, in his heart pleading with Tori to stay put, it brought so much comfort to Lacus just by sticking with her.

"That pendant is supposed to bring luck, you look like you need it. Keep the bird as well, I don't want it." He said, Tori looked up sharply, miffed.

Kira prayed that she will notice the message etched in the inner side of the rings…

ooo

-The last two weeks, -14 days-

"That's how…you came back?" Cagalli asked, she was so worried and sad and relieved and disappointed all at the same time. She gave them each a big, tight hug.

They were back in the residential palace, away from prying eyes. The sky was dark beyond the glass window, it was a cool night. Murrue brought them back to earth and back to her, their mother.

"What happened in space? Why did you guys come back with the Archangel?" Cagalli asked as she laid her arms around her son's neck.

Max pursed his lips, "You lied."

"What…?" Cagalli asked incredulously.

"We are someone else's children, no?" Max questioned accusingly, "All of you are liars, first you tell us our parents are dead, next you say you are my mother and the next thing my father tells me someone else is my father!"

"…What are you talking about?" Cagalli shook her head in genuine confusion, she laid a hand on Max's forehead. "Are you sick…?"

"Stop lying to us!" Max shouted as tears brimmed in his eyes, he threw Cagalli's hand off roughly. "You're pregnant again, right? With that man's child…"

"How'd…? I am, but what does…? Hold on a second!" She finally guessed the situation. "What did Athrun tell you?"

"I don't want to talk about that idiotic moron!"

With that, a sound smack met the back of his head, and Cagalli was shocked and appalled for a moment as Marlene pushed her brother away angrily, and shook her head so hard they her ponytail appeared to be in continuous motion. It was strange, she usually ties two, and usually is not so violent.

"Marlene, don't be rough with your brother!" Cagalli yelled as she held Marlene by the wrist as she made one more lunge for a brother's head. "Stop it!"

"It's the truth!" Max shouted in defiance, "That stupid head told us to scram!"

"Argh!" Marlene screeched at Max, seemingly wanting to hit him. Cagalli had never seen her so aggressive, "Maximillion, stop provoking your sister!"

"Who cares!" He yelled as he rubbed at his reddened face, and ran out of the room.

Cagalli was left with a panting Marlene, and she guided her little girl towards her and asked.

"Marlene? What…what happened? What did Athrun say to you guys exactly?"

Marlene looked at her blankly for a while, words seemingly on the verge of spilling from her mouth, but after a moment, no sound came forth.

"I'm sorry…I forgot." Cagalli apologized, "Marlene I…"

Marlene frowned, and tightened her grip on her mother's wrist, willing for her to understand.

_It was the night before they are going to be sent off, the night after Athrun had told them to get out of his sight. Marlene Zala laid in her bed, her eyes wide opened. She gazed jealously at her brother, who was sleeping uncaringly on the bed adjacent to hers. Tears brimmed in her eyes._

_Generally, she does not cry a lot because she knew Athrun and Cagalli will smile whenever she smiles. Now she missed them, Athrun warmth beside her and his large, comforting palms. He was there for her if she had a nightmare or peed in her nightclothes or fell sick. Cagalli would always read them interesting bedtime stories and illustrate by acting as gnomes or trolls or vampires. If she did something wrong, Athrun hits harder, but till now she did not know which one she likes more… It feels like Cagalli does not want them anymore, she left, and got a new little baby inside her. _

_She missed Cagalli and Athrun, she missed her home and friends in Orb and PLANTs dearly, she even missed her teddy bear back home. _

_All this caused her to cry, because she wondered if they missed her too. _

_The door slipped open quietly, and she quickly closed her eyes and huddled in her blanket, afraid that the adults will scold her if they found her awake at this hour, and worst; crying. _

_She heard someone's light footsteps walking into the room, tiptoeing like pink panther. She tried to guess who it was, but the only clue she got was when she peeked and saw the person's dark silhouette against the light from the corridor. _

_The person was a man, he was tall. She observed him quietly as he knelt down beside her brother, touching his forehead so gently as if he never wanted to let anyone find out. When Max showed no signs of awakening, the man gave her brother a big bear hug. _

_After a little while, he released Max and tucked him in carefully. Then man turned towards her, and she closed her eyes again, afraid to be found out. _

_The person touched her face as well, his palm was big and warm…strangely it felt like the same palm that laid on her forehead when she has a fever. She cried a little more, letting nothing more show than tears rolling down her face onto the pillow. She heard and feel him sigh, his cool breaths stirring her bangs, it was a sad and tired sound. _

_It made her wonder, why is he so sad? He should be happy that he had gotten rid of what he does not want. He had blatantly told them to leave, and said that they were someone else's children. And when she cried 'Daddy' and clung to his arm, he shook her off in disdain, threatening to hit her should she persist in her 'foolish behavior'. _

_He whispered, in the way he always speaks, quietly, gently. "Don't cry…" _

_His pinky rubbed across the streak of tears, drying her face. _

"_I love you, Marlene…Be blessed." He touched her forehead, the way a Father would._

_It was really his voice, but she did not want to believe a word he says…until a teardrop fell on her face. _

_Only sad people cry..._

_She opened her eyes as Athrun withdrew abruptly from the room, her fingers missing the edge of his uniform only by inches… _

_ooo_

Marlene shook her head now, interrupting Cagalli, then began to gesticulate, sadly Cagalli could not understand without the translator.

Cagalli simply shook her head, indicating she did not understand, tears began to make their way down her face. She wiped at it immediately, she had not been prepared to cry in front of Marlene, but she was just so worried.

"?" Marlene came closer, and questioned by making little sounds.

"I'm okay, it's just…I suddenly remembered… it's Athrun's birthday today."

She missed him even more. Athrun had been acting really strange, he gave her those insurance documents, instructional sheets about the plague in PLANTs, a little letter hidden in a leather wallet that was stolen before she had an opportunity to read it, and now he had sent the kids back to her. He knew the children would not leave him willingly, hence he probably told them some horrible lie to drive them away. And Athrun is a person who almost never lies, indicating that the situation must have been dire for him to resort to such an extreme means.

In conclusion, he was probably in peril, or going to be. And Cagalli could not help but worry.

"Ah…" Marlene muttered, she opened her mouth like a goldfish.

"Da…Daddy."

Cagalli gazed up in surprise, and she took her daughter's hands.

"Marlene…? What did you just say…?" She cried in delight, "You are talking! Com' on, repeat what you just said."

"…Daddy…" She uttered yet again, it was another miracle.

"Yes…? What about daddy?" She nodded, egging her on.

"Daddy loves…Marlene. Max…" She said very slowly, each word was deliberate. And she pointed, first to the sky, then to herself, and out the door as she mentioned those three elements.

Cagalli marveled, and she touched Marlene's head encouragingly.

_First, her daughter spoke a complete sentence. Second, she understood her father's love for her… Cagalli did not even understand Athrun's intention till now, but she believed in what Marlene said. _

Cagalli nodded, more tears flowing down her face, "Yeah…he does. He may act cool and all, but he's just a big pushover…"

Marlene giggled at that, though she still looked bothered by something. She reached to touch her mother's face with those pudgy fingers, shaking her head.

"Trust…daddy."

Cagalli felt her heart contract.

"_Come on…stop crying." Athrun pleaded as he made a face at her sobbing her heart out._

"_But…" She cried louder, "This Korean drama is so good…Don't you think so? The handsome lead died…waaaaa…"_

"_I know it is… sad…but it's not real…" He reasoned as he fetched her another box of tissue papers and climbed onto the couch beside her. She whipped a tissue from the new box and blew her nose very loudly. _

_They were in a Cagalli's house when she was seven months pregnant with the twins, watching the finale of a drama series that Cagalli has been following. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe the drama was really good, because she had been crying through the last few episodes. _

"_You're such an insensitive idiot!" She reprimanded her nineteen-year-old husband as she pounded on his arm, "This is the most beautifully tragic thing I've ever seen and all you can say is 'Sad'?" _

_He sighed, defended himself and "Well, I admit it is touching but don't cry…I…" He stopped short, and sighed._

"_What?" She demanded._

"_It's not about the Korean drama, Cagalli." He muttered in exasperation._

"_Then what?" Cagalli challenged, she was on the verge of pounding him into pulp. _

_He combed one hand through his hair awkwardly, and muttered in a tiny voice. "I don't like to see you cry…"_

_Cagalli thought, and demanded. "Am I that ugly when I cry? I know I am fat and all…"_

"_No, you're not fat or ugly." He answered bluntly, gazing at her, and dropped his voice even more. _

"_It just feels like…I'm doing a bad job."_

"_A bad job of what?" She questioned._

"…_Of protecting you."_

_Her heartbeat quickened as she realized she had a Korean drama prince-like character right there with her, with his handsome face and gentle demeanor. He turned to gaze at her, the look in his green eyes pleading. She bit her lip, fighting to blush that crept up her cheeks. After a while she simply tried to brush him off to dissolve the awkwardness. _

"_You're not my bodyguard anymore, you know…" She muttered half-heartedly as she turned away from him, gazing at her bloated abdomen._

"…_You don't have to like… bite bullets for me or anything…"_

_A source of warmth came up from behind her back as he pressed himself against her, enshrouding her in a hug._

_He kissed her temple, his breath was fresh as mint-flavor toothpaste. _

"_I'll protect you forever…"_

_Her heart skipped a beat. Slowly, she turned to gaze at him, she curled up in his lap and grinned mischievously, wanting him to share the full effects of her weight-gain. Infuriatingly, he did not even flinch._

"_You'll protect me even if I am fat and ugly?" She asked, patting her own cheeks which have put on some baby fats over the last few months._

"_Woman, have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? This is called radiance." He pinched her cheeks naughtily, and the way he looked at her was positively sultry, he kissed her. Then as he pulled away, he slotted his hands behind her shoulders and knees and heaved her off the couch. "Yikes!" Cagalli just had enough time to cling on to him, afraid to fall. _

"_Athrun!"_

"_And you're not fat." As if just to prove his point, he bore her weight with seeming ease. Carrying her princess-style all the way into the bedroom. _

_Cagalli clung to him blissfully, conceding defeat. Secretly, she would have wanted for him to do this everyday for the rest of her life. She knew it was wishful thinking, but it did not keep her heart from feeling warm and safe; just for a moment gathered in his arms._

"_Athrun…"_

"_Hmm, your Highness?"_

_She clung on to him, pecking him on the chin, it was a little prickly._

"…_Will you read me a bedtime story?" She just wanted to hear his voice a little more._

"_Huh? Read you…a bedtime story?" He studied her uncertainly, "Are you alright?"_

"_Yes, of course. Who says Athrun should read a bedtime story?" She asked rhetorically, then raised a hand. _

"_Baby says 'yes' too. So that's two against one."_

_He laughed, "Okay. Majority wins." He conceded. _

"Trust…daddy…" Marlene repeated.

Cagalli's hand enclosed over the one on her cheek and declared bravely. "…I will."

She drew a shuddering breath. "And Marlene…I have a secret to tell you too…"

Her daughter leaned in closer, and widened her green eyes inquisitively. Cagalli grinned mysteriously, and took Marlene's hand which was on her cheek, and pressed it over her slightly bloated abdomen.

"…The little one inside is your baby sister."

Marlene smiled genuinely at that, and patted Cagalli's tummy as she would pat a little child's head.

"I don't know what Athrun told you…but I will only say the truth, you are all me and Athrun's children. See…children come by when a man and a woman falls in love…and…"

She paused and took a deep breath.

"I've loved nobody else." She declared, more to herself than to the world.

Marlene nodded, the look in her eyes indicated she understood the enormity of what Cagalli said.

"And Marlene, I am going to leave…to find him." She whispered. "Stay here, take care of Maximillion."

Marlene looked apprehensive, but she nodded courageously, and Cagalli smiled.

_Never mind those green eyes, this little girl has inherited guts; a lot of guts._

She drew her daughter into an embrace, "I love you..." She whispered.

_The road to space will be perilous, and there is a chance that she will never make it back here. But she knew she had to go…she had to find him._

_She had to protect him. _

Ooo

-The last two weeks, -13 days-

"This is surprising development. As of time signature 1455 in year CE 80, October 29th…the Crimson army has destroyed itself."

"What happened?"

"No one knows, we guess it's mutiny. A few ships simply started blasting the others apart, in the mess, they scattered."

"Maybe they know about the Yamato replicates and got scared."

"Maybe. But…"

"What is their strength now?"

"Only 14 ships, three have been damaged."

"14 huh, maybe it's time to put an end to them. What is the current location of the EAF forces?"

"They have moved off the moon base and are now nesting at L1. For some reason, they have begun rallying around Leonidas Fitzbane again. After the scandal between him and the Orb princess went out, that's just strange."

"Isn't it good when we know our enemies are not so bright? And perhaps not so morally demanding."

"Orb?"

"No further updates as of last night, they have launch a fleet and are floating about 40 knots off Siseneg now. No one knows whether they are out to wipe out the EAF or not, but it seems that Leonidas Fitzbane had also stolen something of immense importance, it was rumored to be a letter left by their late representative. The citizens were angry enough at that man who tarnished their representative's reputation and virginity to file a petition to appeal to the government to boycott all commercial activity tied to the EAF, even the fishing rights to the northern region of Orb and the trade of caviar."

"That's a multimillion-dollar business."

"Precisely."

"The Crimson army?"

"14 ships near Siseneg, the rest probably floating somewhere in the debris belt around earth."

"The plague?"

"Spreading… as of yesterday the contamination rates reached 6.38%."

"So far any news from our crackpot scientists who calls themselves the brightest minds of our time?"

"No. Not yet…"

"It's time…we take control over the situation to protect our citizens."

"What do you mean?"

"Gather them, quarantined them in one central location."

"Which medical professional in the right mind would take enough risk to work in that faculty?"

"I am not suggesting we staff the place at all, it is a measure to destroy all sources of contamination."

"! What?"

It is time to introduce a new character.

Frank Wisely, the seventy-year-old police commissioner with a cynical outlook in life was sitting in the meeting room where most of the occupants look like they can't wait to take a bite out of each other even though no one shouted.

_These wars between so-called civilized people are the worst. _

"We have to." Tad Elthman declared quietly.

"There is no 'have to'. We are talking about annihilating a city…" Yzak Jule said through gritted teeth.

"Along with the virus that has the potential of wiping out civilization as we know it." Said Ezaria Jule.

"I agree, it is a necessary sacrifice."

"We don't even know how it is spread. According to the preliminary reports it's not airborne, there must have been some other cause. Sacrificing these people will achieve nothing!"

"It is necessary to appease the people."

"Necessary? It will not solve the problem at all. Furthermore, there is a chance that there may be a cure, shouldn't we focus our efforts on providing support to tie over this crisis, like funding for cryogenics? Outsourcing the search for a cure to external, more experienced medical bodies other than those you refer to as 'crackpot scientist' in PLANTs?" Yzak was on the verge of snapping, but the tide was against him, he was treading on thin ice.

"Oh, are you implying that these Naturals will be able to do what our brightest minds cannot?" Another man said coldly.

"I'm simply saying that their experience with the clinical course of cancer will assist in the search for a cure. Naturals have been dealing with this condition for hundreds of years even since before the Cosmic era was declared. I discussed it at length with Dr Giorados, he agrees with me that bringing in an oncologist- something that doesn't exist in PLANTs- will aid in lengthening the dormant phase of the disease and provide a lifeline to those infected. They need help in stocking up of relevant medications needed for handling any more cases…"

"If I may remind you, the infection rate is 6.38% now, that means in every 20 persons in Aprilius, one is infected. Councilor Albert is not here for the same reason. How much funding can you generate? And how naïve can you be, to even suggest that you want to entrust the lives of our citizens-of Councilor Albert- in the hands of these fricking bas… outsiders?"

"How does that make killing Albert a better option? Furthermore..."

And blah blah blah, the stakeholders went on till they ran out of blahs.

Eventually it was clear that Yzak Jule was quite alone, the room had been filled with Tad Elthman supporters who forgot to bring their brains to Council. Frank Wisely told himself that if someone took out a gun and shot Yzak, he will say he saw nothing.

The attention gradually fell on the military leaders and the police. It was classified as a top secret mission. And it became Frank's mission. He had to round up all those who are suspected of carrying the plague and those who are definitely carrying it and bring them to a central facility, then destroy the place in one fell swoop. It will involve screening, and quarantine, and eventually, death. Also, he was charged with setting up the command center within Head Quarters; these chambers will be used for the showdown between the Crimson army and EAF and Zaft. This was his forte; it was a lot to be done in two week's time, so he will see to it personally.

"Commissioner." Tad Elthman intoned. "I have much respect for your experience and resourcefulness. Do not fail me."

"Of course, I promise only my best." He replied.

Frank Wisely was not a frank person at all, as much as he hated this sort of thing, he did not voice it aloud as he knew he could not afford to offend these people. In his life, he had three priorities, money, his wife and helping people, in shuffling order. Pissing off the supreme Council at this stage of his career was definitely detrimental to all three, especially when it jeopardizes his wife's next Prada bag...

So when he feels that enough is enough, he will do things his own way to revamp the council, first they needed to shake all these brainless Tad-believers out of the important places. And there is someone he knew would stand on his side.

So he waited till this dreadful meeting ended, then arranged to meet Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule in private.

The 'arrangement' was to simply pull him into the black Porsche parked in the carpark when he walked past then driving off very quickly. That was precisely what he did.

"High Commissioner?" Yzak exclaimed as he collected his bearings in the speeding car, even if their conversation is tapped, all that will be heard will be the roar of the engines.

"You gave me a fright."

"Well, is that so? You can give me something more."

Yzak Jule studied him with a blank face. _This kid is smart_.

"Have you heard of the dance of the two camps?"

Yzak nodded once.

"You thought you were the only one in the camp, but you have one more ally." He dropped his voice to a whisper, "Remember, who rigged the report on that bloodied uniform of yours?"

Yzak's jaw loosened a little, he made an effort to keep his expression as blank as possible. "I thought…"

"You thought somebody on your side helped you, but that person was trying to harm you. Only the left upper portion was Athrun Zala's blood, the rest was not even synthetic, it was someone else's, if any lab technician with brain enough to go skirt-chasing examined it, your story is toast, you're toast. And I saw your department's budget sheet, more than there being guns and grenades for the purpose of heightening security there were big ticket items as well...like you're going to hire an army...or house a bunch of terrorist..."

Yzak Jule remained quiet, "And you..you helped because...?"

He explained, "I intervened because I thought you will have a good reason to tell everyone Athrun Zala is dead, and from this fact I derive another. He's alive, isn't he?"

For the first time in Frank Wisely's life, he saw Yzak smile, and for some reason he became so much younger and so much more handsome in that instant. Yzak nodded.

"Can you tell me his plans?"

"To go to New Zealand, buy a farm and rear cows."

Frank laughed.

"Get real, we are talking about Chairman Zala, the one who works like there is no tomorrow."

Yzak sighed, "True…" Then he narrowed his eyes and gazed at Frank in mistrust. "What does it matter if he is dead or alive? What are you trying to achieve, if I may ask?"

Frank liked Yzak Jule, so this time he was frank.

"Peace." He whispered, "My boy… peace. I'm an old man, I don't like wars. I devised a way to paralyze the Zaft army, but I need an executor, that person has to be within HQ, and it cannot be any of us, it's too obvious. Since there're people likely trying to overthrow the people at the HQ, why not we make use of each other a little?"

"Fine." Yzak replied, he looked so tired suddenly.

"Why, so easy? You're just gonna tell me everything?"

"Because…that's what Athrun wants as well…"

Ooo

-The last 2 weeks, -2 days-

Mark silently watched the Chairman doze beside him, suppressing a sigh.

They were in the magnetic trains that were speeding towards city central. Why? One may ask, basically most of the troops has been dispatched in batches while masquerading as a mass desertion session. They landed on various locations on the moon and earth and other parts of the PLANTs, looking and smelling every bit like debris whereas a small portion of soldiers had been left in space as bait for the Zaft army.

They made their way independently towards Kingcross train station on the outskirts of Aprilius. Then boarded the same train.

Essentially Mark, Meyrin and Shiho had been stuck with Athrun, and now they are in the same train with about 100 other men and women who are somewhat armed and aiming to wreak havoc in City Central. City central station was connected to the offices of the Council members and the military headquaters, but only members of the council know how to get in.

It was perfect, for Dearka's office is on the outskirts of the estate, and one person who knew the way was assigned to every group, that includes Murasaki and Steven. By the time security realizes that ID cards for supposedly MIA/KIA members had been swiped, it would be too late, there will be armed militants stomping the building.

It did help that Athrun predicted that there will be riots going on outside the building, which there were for the past few days. Utter chaos will help their infiltration attempt, and in the mess, about thirty of them will go to the space landing docks and rescue Lacus Clyne. Heaven knows they were still outnumbered 10 to 1, but the strategy relied on surprise and stealth. If someone decides to betray them to exchange for a ticket back into civilization, they are gone.

The train stopped, four stations before their destination. An elderly gentlemen using a sleek-looking cane, carrying a briefcase and wearing a brown bowler hat walked in. And when he cleared his throat, Athrun blinked blearily, then made to give up his seat for the man. Mark pressed down his shoulder gently as he stood up.

"You rest a while more."

Athrun gazed at him, then coughed once. "Thanks."

Hence the elderly man settled down beside Athrun and asked conversationally. "Good day, my boy, are you guys tourists?"

Mark hid a smile, the one that they had and the one thing they could not wear was their uniform.

Most soldiers have one set of formal clothing in their lockers for emergency purposes. So, he and Shiho were each in a set of business suit. Athrun and Meyrin were lucky enough to have a set of civilian clothing. Essentially, he and Athrun formed a strange combination. The most recognizable person in PLANTs was of course, the ex-Chairman of PLANTs, so he also wore a face mask to cover as much of his face as possible.

Athrun smiled back, and shook his head, "I live here."

"Oh really, what do you do for a living?"  
"I..." Athrun thought, "...am currently unemployed."

Mark almost laughed, it was true, none of them were. And haven't been for a while.

"How delightful, so tell me, why are you not dead yet?" The man asked as he folded his arms, folding the cane and slotting it in his pocket. Mark noticed something odd, his senses prickled.

The temperature dropped a notch, and Athrun studied the other man. Then he seemingly decided to drop the matter, and leaned forward to stand up.

"Don't move." The elderly man commanded, all invitation gone from his voice, Mark heard the distinct sound of a gun safety being pulled back originating from within his pocket.  
If he fired at this range, it will kill Athrun and the passenger beside him. Mark itched to grab the old man by the collar and toss him out of the window. But Athrun only sighed, and coughed a little; he was calm, it meant he was in control.

"What do you want? Police High commissioner Frank Wisely?" He asked coldly.

"Ah, you have good eyes, Chairman Zala..." The other man commended. "And a good heart, I wonder if you have a good brain as well?"

Athrun narrowed his eyes, "Do you need to point a gun at me to find out?"

"Well, no." He replied. "But it does make your situation clear to you should you refuse to listen. See that old lady over there?"

"...Yes."

"She's carrying a ZKML-24, semi-automatic. And she will use it should any of your men do anything strange. Understand?"

_Mark Jocose swallowed. It was a line of laser weaponry that could kill everyone in the carriage in less than 20 seconds if the user so chooses._

"Yes." Athrun answered.

"Good." Frank Wisely said as he removed the weapon from Athrun's side.

"What do you know of the plague?"

"I know nothing, only theories." Athrun lied with a straight face, Mark hid a frown.

"Do you know that there will be an extermination in three day's time?"

Mark widened his eyes.

"The high council has decided to gather the carriers of the plague and kill them all."

"…How did you know?" Athrun questioned in a low voice.

"I'm the one in-charge, under my jurisdiction they have already gathered about 70% of all the carriers."

Athrun was quiet, he took a deep breath, and after a while he asked, "You're telling me because…?"

"Because I don't like it. Athrun Zala, you seem somehow more resourceful than I, you've cheated death so many times…" He sighed, "I'm an old man, I want to keep a little more karma for my descendants…"

"If we were to destroy the council in less than 48 hours time?" Mark spoke at last, and the old man turned to gaze at him. He smiled an ancient smile.

"That's a temporary solution, but it's good enough for me. How soon can we…?"

"24." Athrun interrupted.

Mark widened his eyes, and the police high commissioner paused as he sensed the bargain, "What?"

"If we were to do what you asked in 24 hours, I want you to do something for me in return."

The older man was quiet, then he smirked. "Haggling with the old man huh? Yzak Jule warned me that you are capable of driving a hard bargain. But it's not enough, 24 to 48 hours time frame, it's certainly attractive, but not enough."

"You're interested in incurring some karma, you say?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then a plus, ten experienced cancer specialists who have a good understanding of Coordinator physiology." Athrun said.

"Chairm…Athrun?" Mark asked in spite of himself.

Athrun merely grinned, the smile reached his eyes. "It was Lacus's suggestion, I had it planned out with the Orb head of guard."

"Orb…no wonder, where else to get doctors who know what to do with Coordinators. Fine, what do you want, lad?"

"A smooth handover to a temporary military government, and a fair trial…" Athrun answered evenly, "For every single soldier with me."

"Consider the first request done." Frank replied generously, he smiled, but the humor was skin deep. "As for the second, it's possible for these Zaft deserters if you give me their names and citizen registration numbers, but for…"

"I've never considered myself part of the equation." Athrun joined smoothly.

"Chairman?" Mark hissed, unable to contain himself. Athrun did not even look at him.

"Deal." Frank answered, and with that, he placed his briefcase on Athrun's lap. Athrun gazed at him curiously.

"My parting gift, to protect you a little so that these deserters will still possibly have a scapegoat at the point of their trial." He stood up as the train reached the next stop, his cane miraculously reappearing, the old lady stood up with him. He tipped his hat at Athrun in salutation, "Stay alive, my boy."

Athrun nodded, "Thank you."

Mark reseated himself beside Athrun after they left.

"What was that about?" Mark asked quietly.

"Fulfilling my promise to you…to those I left to die in space."

"The generals agreed on it, its no one's fault." Mark replied quietly, "No one can claim responsibility, not even you…"

"But Mark…I'm responsible… for everything..." Athrun coughed as he replied, and opened the briefcase.

"Any bombs?" Mark asked dryly, he was not capable of humor in a time like this.

"No…Kevlar." Athrun said as he fished out a bulletproof vest with certification, it was fine and smooth and lightweight as the lining of business blazers, but able to prevent perforation from small caliber bullets within a ten-meter range.

Mark could not help but whistle, this is expensive technology, they are talking about telephone numbers; no doubt the finest in the market.

"Wow, this is generous, blueprints...locations of the security posts and cameras..." Athrun explored the suitcase.

"He wants us to succeed really badly." Mark remarked.

"Oh wait…there is a bomb." Athrun said very softly, trying not to scare the other commuters. Mark looked in, there was a detonator with instructions.

'Use when necessary.'

"Gentlemen."

It was Shiho. She declared.

"We're here."

ooo

"We are here." Lunamaria heard Corel Crippen, her vice captain whisper.

Lunamaria studied the image, basically 6 ships were floating just out of her cannon range. The computers confirmed them as Zaft ships, but Luna knew they were marked for doom.

She took a deep breath, and ordered. "Enter stealth mode."

Around the Corona, nine other ships shimmered out of visible spectrum. Finally, the council had sanctioned mass production of the Mobius class, and poured in enough funds to remodel some of them existing ships, like the Ragnorok to her left.

"Ready the clones." She ordered next, suppressing the disgust that rode up her gullet at the mention of those creatures.

Never mind that she knew Kira personally, they've had a month to prepare the boys. But those children are simply put, empty shells.

They possess the intellect of babies, but are jammed inside the body of a ten year old and expected to perform tasks of an adult, they are child soldiers who had no concept of death but are superior in every other physical aspect. Each of them now can best a red in 7 out of 10 simulated battles purely out of three weeks of hard-core training. One just had to feed them and give them a bed, but it was unnervingly disturbing to have to sit in the room with one of them. Luna wondered if they could be called a person. And she had 6 of them on her ship.

"Engage the enemy."

ooo

Cagalli looked up sharply as the computer flashed red in alert, an explosion had just occured not far from the Orbian troops.

Ooo ooo

Hi all! This is chapter 26,I promised I'll speed up the update.

A large, grateful-from-the-bottom-of-my heart thank you to those who wrote reviews and stuck through with this story, couldn't have done it without you guys!

Yours

Mingathur

Till chapter next!


	27. Chapter 27: Assasins

Chapter 27: Assassins

"_Then…do you believe that there is magic…in a true love's kiss?" Athrun asked tenderly._

"_Maybe…" Cagalli whispered as she leaned in closer, "Why don't you tell me?"_

_ooo_

"_Emily." Lunamaria addressed. "Come with me."_

_Emily's eyeballs almost dropped out of their sockets, she was summoned to the captain's quarters only to see Luna decked out in her full-fledged ranks._

_The meeting room they were heading to was essentially for video conferencing between the captains, usually it takes a lot of preparation and manpower to set up. But tonight Luna had set up a lone channel and asked for complete privacy with the exception of Emily. _

"_Captain. You called me because...?"_

_Lunamaria looked pensive as she walked on, it was a while before she finally answered._

"_What do you think of the whole issue?"_

"_What issue are you referring to, Mdm?"_

"_Your family was killed on Janurius, just like mine…except that you lost all of them…" Lunamaria reminded, "Who…who do you think killed them?"_

_Emily bit her lip, wondering why she was being asked this. "The culprit is clear, and the whole world knows that he has been executed by none other than you, captain." She had wanted to yell, but managed to keep her voice low._

"_What if I told you we were wrong, and the world was wrong?"_

"_But we can't be." Emily felt her heart race. "And Spencer said…"_

"_Spencer has been deluded and deceived." Luna said evenly, but not reproachfully. "But you…you have to open your eyes. All that was an excuse to take power, there was a coup…" _

"_I apologize, but I…don't understand."_

_Luna softened as she sat down, she sighed, "You will understand soon. Emily…"_

_She nodded as Luna pressed the switches, holograms of the various craft's captains and one aide appeared on the chairs. _

"_Good evening, captains of the 11__th__ fleet." Lunamaria intoned. "I apologize for calling a meeting at a time such as this, but this concern far more than this petty war. It concerns matters of high treason…"_

"_A petty war?" Melvin, the captain of Ragnorok exclaimed in excitement, "We are facing the most feared forces in all of PLANTs history, one who has never lost…! How much more of a challenge can you expect?"_

"_We are not to drop our guards, the Warlord is a terrible enemy to have…" Another berated._

"_Please hear me out, new evidence has surfaced from the police investigations conducted on Chairman Zala's kidnapping those months ago. The black box inside Chairman Zala's car has been preserved, and the police high commissioner has …"_

"_Sorry to interrupt, but what has that incident have to do with our current, more pressing circumstances?"_

_Luna paused, "If Mr Wisely is correct…we know the identity of the Crimson Warlord…"_

_The room held their breaths. "Please enlighten."_

"…_It's Athrun Zala." _

_Collective gasps were heard over the transmission, followed by a cacophony of opinions. "Ridiculous, preposterous!" _

"_Captain?" Emily hissed in alarm. Luna only shook her head._

"_Dead men don't war." Melvin commented coldly. _

"_But the living do." Luna retorted. "Let me summarize what the evidence points at, that few months ago, someone kidnapped Athrun Zala and the peace envoy. And released only a small, but misleading part of their conversation on open channels, once the scapegoat has been condemned, that someone has every right to mobilize the army, us, to exterminate him, in turn taking power. He used that chance to get rid of those who opposed him and replaced them with those who would support him and laid the blame on the same. Those who understood the truth then deserted, but those who did not, killed our supposed enemies. These deserters became the Crimson army…"_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_I am saying… that these so-called terrorist are not terrorists at all, we have assumed they are, at least some of them, but they are all Zaft soldiers. They reunited under that banner only because of one thing." She paused, the occupants in the room held their breaths._

"_Truth." She declared._

_Nobody spoke up to this point, but they exchanged confused gazes._

"_We cannot fight the Crimson army for another reason, the EAF forces have started moving nearer to PLANTs airspace, I think…they are waiting for us to weaken ourselves, then attack."_

"_Did they not have some disagreements with Orb?"_

"_I have trustworthy information, the fleet from Orb is not an army at all, more than half are cargo ships that are crudely unarmed. Also…It is very well that we have changed our pilots to the clone army…" She saw some of the captains flinching, sharing her distaste with those strange creatures. "But the Mobius class has never gone into mass production until this upgrade, think, to prepare to fight against 14 old ships ever ready to coup amongst themselves, do we need 22 ships, ten of which possessing stealthium armors?"_

"_I don't mind it being an overkill." _

_Luna ignored him, "The only thing is, who is being killed, or who do we need to kill? I realized something was wrong that Corona was also upgraded when there is nothing to upgrade or repair, and we found that it had something extra attached. There is a similar remote destruct mechanism built into your ships with the upgrade. Get your mechanics to look into your engine cores if you don't believe me."_

_One of the captains turned abruptly to stare at his aide, who whispered, "I told ya it was a bomb…"_

"_What are they for?"_

"_I don't know…" Luna replied," I haven't been able to unravel that part…And lastly, the recent events at Siseneg told us something more disturbing, and…I withheld that information and kept it out of the reports."_

"You deceived the leadership?" Someone asked, Emily widened her eyes as well.

"_Yes." She replied, "Only because it says that the plague was man-made and unleashed. My suspicion is that someone is trying to use this to enrich himself by selling the cure…"_

"_But does a cure exists?"_

"_No…not so far, but the man has been led to believe so…"_

"_Assuming, that indeed the leadership has been compromised, what evidence do you have to justify these terrible claims?"_

"_The black box records, CCTV records, transaction records between a mysterious businessmen and Chairman Elthman's close associate, Supreme Councilor Whesker's will and the testimony of Lacus Clyne. As well as a research paper termed experiment three…"_

"_These are big names…"_

"_I've sent all the information to your computers with an encrypted pass code, the file will self-destruct within 3 hours of opening. Examine it when you are offline and alone and let's have another meeting before we attack tomorrow."_

_The meeting was adjourned, and it was quiet in the room for a few minutes. Luna did not speak, neither did Emily. Truth to be told, too many thoughts were reeling in her mind for her to talk coherently. _

"_Emily…would you like to have a look at the file too?" Luna questioned without looking at her._

_Without hesitation, she nodded, "Yes."_

"_And if all these were true…?"_

"_I don't know, mdm. I don't know…But…why me mdm? Why did you bring me and not vice captain?"_

_Lunamaria looked at her with pain in her eyes. _

"_Because I want to ask you to do something terrible." _

Ooo

"_He was a scientist after all. Work is work. _

_Dr Sas and Lacus were in a small-sized spacecraft heading back to PLANTs. The Corona-the main spacecraft- has headed off elsewhere. _

_Dr Saspuri had known the pink hair lady sitting in front of him since she was a little girl, he was the one who made house visits to Siegel's place when she was sick and coaxed her eat medications by bribing her with flowers and sweets. He was the one who counseled her father to send her to music school and advised to marry her to Patrick's son bright and early when their genes complimented each other so perfectly. He had hoped that they will be productive and give birth to many more children who will be useful to his cause... _

_All that perfect symmetry was lost with time, he thought grimly as he examined Lacus Clyne's blood sample produced by the electron microscope. He had guessed correctly, she has the Seed factor as well, manifested as an extra group of receptors poking out from the membrane of her cells. _

_The seed factor is a heterozygous recessive trait carried on the sex chromosome, most Coordinators carry at least one, those who carry two have a higher chance to activate seed mode. In men particularly, due to the lack of the dominant gene on the other chromosome, have a higher chance of expressing that phenotype. People who have this trait generally mature physically, and more importantly mentally, at a younger age. And their neurons continue to retain their malleability even in adulthood, meaning they continue to learn at the pace of children and are hence almost unanimously; overachievers. _

_He had been looking for the cure, but to no avail. At first, they simply waited for a solution, but when Ulen succumbed to the infection he knew he had to act. And he did, he worked with Giovanni Lacey, developing weapons in exchange for the massive amounts of funds needed. But eventually, his hand was forced, he had to embark on the most terrible goose chase in his life, which almost killed whom he had sworn to protect and yielded but a pittance of results._

_"Dr Sas..." Lacus asked meekly. Her voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts, and he turned to gaze at the songstress, whose hands were cuffed behind her back. _

_"Yes?"_

_She simply gazed at him, she recognized him, she knew him. Just not in the way he knew her. At the moment, he was her enemy._

_"Why are you doing this?" She questioned, pain in her voice._

_He thought for a moment or two, he was not the conversation type, but for some reason he felt like he should reply. He owed her as much._

_"...I am looking for answers."_

_"What kind of answers?"She questioned, "Is it worth hurting so many people to obtain...?"_

_"It is..." He replied simply. "So that more can be saved."_

_"Even hurting Kira...? Your own grandson?" She implored. _

_Dr Saspuri hid as gasp of surprise, he had forgotten how much he admired women, especially intelligent ones. And he thought of his own daughter..._

_"How did you know?" He asked evenly, a smile playing about his lips.  
"It was an educated guess." Lacus acknowledged the compliment. "I think no one else noticed, but back in the labs in Siseneg, there was a photograph of all the scientists in the background when my father did the recording. There was you, younger, less bald with Dr Hibiki and his wife, you were...smiling and carrying two babies." _

_Grief assaulted him momentarily, he remembered, those were happy times. That photo was taken after Cagalli and Kira was born, and the conversion safe. _

_"You are...Ulen Hibiki's father..."_

_He shook his head, "I'm not related to that bastard who killed my daughter."_

_Lacus widened her eyes._

_He sighed, "My daughter's name is Via... Via Hibiki...as she insists." _

_"Ulen Hibiki killed her...?"  
"She died because of him..." He correctly vaguely._

_"Why then, why are you doing these things?" She pressed, her tone meek and pleading. "It does not change the fact that Kira is your grandson…"_

"…_I don't have to explain myself to you. The less you know, the better." He decided, "You father died precisely because he knew too much."_

"_I'd rather die knowing I did all I could to protect my husband then to live with eternal regret..."_

_Dr Sas sighed, and took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose._

_"It's precisely… because I need to save Kira."_

_Her eyes widened, and she paused for a moment. "Dr Sas?"_

_He could not bring himself to look at her, he had failed far too many times. _

_"When Ulen succumbed to the infection, Via...inoculated herself so they could test the potential cures on her." Lacus widened her eyes further._

_"It didn't work, by the time I got to her… she was… too far gone to be placed into Cryo, and she made me promise before she died...to save her husband, to prevent her child from one day having to face the threat of being infected."_

"_Too far gone?"_

_He sighed, "For most end-stage victims, the infection goes for the brain. They start seeing things, imagining things, hearing things, eventually they develop psychosis and lose their minds. Some of them die by putting a power drill through their temple, attempting to drill the voices out. Others, by convulsions happening so frequently that their brains are boiled right out of their skulls." _

_Lacus gasped softly, "And your daughter…she…?"_

"_The testing aggravated her condition, she had hallucinations that Kira…the altered one was trying to kill her, she almost strangled her baby barehanded and I got there. When she realized what she had done, she stabbed herself in the eyes with a pair of forceps… repeatedly… and begged me to save her family…" _

_"But… I thought they died in a fire..." _

_He shook his head, "That was only a hoax...to erase all traces of experiment three. They needed to destroy all bio matter, after they blue rinsed the place then set it on fire to make it look like all the researchers died."_

_"A sterile crime scene is more suspicious than a cluttered one..." Lacus pointed out.  
"Yes, precisely." He acknowledged, "But if little boys can be cloned, why not body parts?"_

_"They...scattered pieces of cloned body parts around and burnt it all..." Lacus guessed.  
He only smiled, "Then they went underground, changed their names and moved their labs to Siseneg. And they continued their research until tragedy struck...and... I was charged with finding a cure… I… searched out all those who had awakened... and attempted to force their bodies into Hyperion. I positioned myself as the head doctor of PLANT's highest, of Siegel, Patrick, of Gilbert, Athrun…so I have access of National records to see who carry the Seed factor."_

_Lacus widened her eyes, aghast._

_"Awakened...You mean Seed mode?" _

_He nodded._

_"What have you done to these people...?" She widened her eyes, her tone became hushed. _

_He turned to gaze at her.  
"...I did what I had to, and I regret to say…that I just moved on from the latest failure."_

_"Seed mode...the...the plague...! Athrun!" Lacus exclaimed, as if she assembled the puzzle in her mind. "So...that's why he's behaving so strangely...He is ill, isn't he? What have you done to him?" She began to struggle against the handcuffs, seemingly wanting to hit him._

_Dr Sas only smiled wearily._

_"Like I said, I only did what I had to...I must admit he was by far the most potential, Seed factor positive, activated Seed mode at the mere age of 16, a young and healthy subject. But it was also my regret and disappointment that things did not work out the way I wanted."_

_"I don't understand... what did you want with him…?" Lacus was on the verge of tears now. _

_Dr Sas only gave a sigh that embodied all his disappointment. "I had hoped that he was the one, the virus presented erratically so unlike those others. But I was a fool, in the end it was all the same..." He sighed. _

_"There is no hope..."_

_"Tell me, what did you do to him?" She demanded, her voice a mere strangled whisper._

_"He is dying." _

_Lacus stifled a gasp, she was gripping her dress so tightly her knuckles are turning white. She shook her head slowly in disbelief. "No..."_

_"It's a fact." Saspuri joined without missing a beat. "By a twist of fate he was infected by the kidnappers those months ago. Giovanni…betrayed me, he allowed Tad Elthman access of the virus somehow. It was convenient that I came along on that insane escapade. That time I meant to erase Kira's memories and send him to somewhere safe…"_

"_Giovanni Lacey…he was the one who started spreading the virus as well?" Lacus theorized._

"_Likely…can you imagine when things are at its worst? And a company comes up and say, 'Viola, we have found a cure.' People will worship them, and pay them anything."_

"_Is…there a cure?"_

"_No…not yet. But Giovanni believes I do, I dangled it in front of him like a carrot all these years, it was the only way to keep the funding coming. For Athrun, I thought I saw hope when the virus strangely never reached blood levels enough to infect another person. So I did all I could to challenge the phase one. I gave information of your whereabouts, I got Zaft to fight you all. But I left when I realized the virus has infected his heart tissues." He remarked remorselessly, though emotions were churning in his heart. _

"_Athrun is a cunning one, but too benevolent for his own good."_

"…_?" Lacus only gazed at him._

"_He knew…or rather, suspected who was the spy, and who I was… a long time ago. After one of the triplets was injured he looked and me and he said, 'I know what you have done, and I need you to stop doing it; because you don't want me as your enemy. Yet he kept me, someone who has been betraying him over and over again by his side." Dr Sas said, a little plagued by guilt, a little awed by his goodness, by his trust. _

_But life is like that, the good die young, gentleness can do nothing for this world. _

"_I supposed that then…we were making use of each other…" He said it more to comfort himself then to her. He had work to do, work that he must see to completion._

_"Athrun was fortunate that he retained his intellect. It permitted him to draw up devious plans right to the last moments…" He paused. "And even managed to send you your husband and pass you the message unnoticed." Dr Sas said whimsically, and Lacus froze, her hands betraying her by tightening over the trinkets in her pocket. _

"_We are docking at PLANTs soon, no doubt he has a contingent they are already there waiting to rescue you the moment his ship touches down." He sat closer, "Now, his plans generally work, but are not without risks, I don't want my grandson and his wife killed accidentally in the upcoming gunfire, so…"_

"_Enough."_

_Both of them froze, and Emily slowly stepped out from outside the door._

"_How much did you hear?" Dr Sas asked, trying to appear unfazed._

"_Everything…so it's true…" Her gun was shaking with her hand._

"_Ensign Em…"_

"_Shut up, don't Ensign me. You're not worthy to be a member of the Faith, traitor! From now, I will ask questions and you will answer them…"_

ooo

When Athrun was awake, he became acutely aware of the pain, it manifested as a dull cramping originating from the center of his torso, and radiated across his chest and back. And he shifted uncomfortably, trying to get rid of it, it was getting harder to breathe. He coughed, attempting to clear his throat, but realize it only got worst.

Struggling a little, he made himself sit up to lessen the pressure in his airway, and he clung on to the side of the sofa as he fumbled through his pocket, searching for the little amber bottle. Quickly, he found it, placed a tablet in his mouth and counted to thirty…

After the pain subsided a little, he realized in alarm that there was someone staring at him.

"Zala."

There was no mistaking the abrasive voice, Athrun forced himself to open his eyes, and realized he could not remember when he had fallen asleep, and on such an important occasion. The clock on the wall told him he had been dozing for maybe 30 minutes.

Quietly, he slipped the bottle back into his pocket.

If Yzak saw, he pretended he did not, he only reported, "Team one is already at the docks to rescue Lacus, team two in my office, team three in positions, team four and five soldiers are fully fitted out, we need to move out soon."

"Alright..." He replied, feeling his head swim, then gaze uncertainly at Yzak.  
"You call this fitted out?"

Yzak was completely unarmed, and looking every bit pristine in his carefully pressed uniform, a silver commander's hook in his ear. It was quite a contrast to Athrun, who had as many guns as he could carry strapped to his ribs and thighs.

Yzak smiled whimsically, and Athrun knew it was bad news. "They say the pen is mightier than the sword..."

_It was a deviation from the original plan. _

"Yzak...?" He asked.  
Yzak gazed calmly into in eyes for an unnervingly long period of time, then merely shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

Athrun was so shocked he could scarcely breathe, Yzak Jule had just apologized...

"The hell...? What are you going to do?" He cried in protest.

"What I should have done a long time ago…"

"At what costs? "Athrun demanded through gritted teeth. "Is it worth getting yourself killed?"

Yzak replied with unsettling calmness, "...What makes you think you're the only one who can sacrifice yourself for the woman you love?"

"It's different!" He snapped, then recovered his composure. "And I'm… I'm not sacrificing myself for anything."

It was futile, for Yzak only gave a cold, knowing glare.

"Remember those eight years ago…when I said I wanted to be your subordinate…?" Yzak whispered with a serene, whimsical smile on his face. It looked so deceitfully peaceful.

Athrun could not help but be surprised that Yzak remembered, it was unlike him to recall such an encounter.

Without giving him a chance to reply, Yzak looked him in the eye and joined.

"I'm honoured… But you're still an idiot for trusting me."

Just like that, he nodded once, and walked away, without even giving Athrun a chance to bask in the moment. And a strange feeling overcame Athrun, it felt sad, it felt like he will never see his rival again…

"Yzak…" He attempted one last time.

"Goodbye, Athrun." As the door opened, and outside stood Ezaria Jule.

Then Yzak turned to the soldiers at one end, "Team four, move out. Team five, ensure that Zala doesn't get out of here."

"…What…?" Athrun exclaimed, and realized that soldiers whom he had trusted the most were binding up his hands and ankles. "Sorry, Athrun." Dearka said shortly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Athrun demanded frantically, and glared at Mark Jocose, who refused to meet his gaze as he secured the ropes around his wrists. Athrun was unable to believe that he had been betrayed. "Yzak?" He struggled against those trying to bind him and shouted.

"YZAK!"

Yzak did not even look him.

Ooo

Ezaria watched as Athrun shouted and resisted like a caged animal, then the shouting got softer and softer as the doors closed in. Men who were standing outside began to file into the room, and those who were inside filed out, and assembled themselves behind Yzak as the doors slipped shut.

"It's done." The biggest man whom Yzak had addressed as Captain Jocose reported.

" Let's go." Yzak said.

"Just a moment." Ezaria said, "You said these are team four and five, where are the first three?"

"They have already been neutralized." Mark Jocose almost growled, Ezaria took half a step back, but she did not back down.

"Do you really expect me to believe…?"

"Mother."

Ezaria was startled for a moment, Yzak had not spoken directly to her over the last few days.

"…Yes?" She asked.

"You were right, Jules…bow to no one. These men made the right choice, they swore to obey me, those who didn't, I had Mark deal with them. If you're interested, I can show you where we disposed of their bodies…"

"I…"

A soldier came running, "Supreme Councilor Ezaria and Yzak Jule, Chairman Elthman requests for your immediate presence in the battle room."

Ooo

"_As the prince kissed the princess…" Athrun recited from the last page, Cagalli merely watched and listened to him, happy to lie there beside her husband. She was propped up with a few cushy pillows feeling every bit comfortable._

"_A miracle… happened…" He enunciated every word gently, as ifit were an enchantment. "Snow White woke up, and beheld the handsome prince. The prince asked for her to marry him, for he had fallen in love with her while she slept. They left the forest on the prince's horse, and they lived happily ever after. The end."_

_Cagalli clapped. "Yeah. We are finally done."_

_Athrun gave her a pained look as he put the book down on the bedside desk. _

"_Haiz…was it that torturous? You were the one who suggested for me to read a bedtime story…"_

"_I did not ask for Snow White." She pointed out._

"_Well, it was the thinnest on the bookshelf." He defended himself. "Do you hate it that much…?"_

_She chewed her lip for a little while. _

"_Hmm, maybe…I just don't believe in fairy tales."_

_He tilted his head, looking at her like. "Curious? Why?"_

"_I…When I was younger…I just can't see how princesses can end up happy."_

_He widened his eyes thoughtfully. "Hmm…Why do you say that?"_

"_Because people will look at you as a 'something', not a 'someone'." She whispered whimsically, "People will die to marry you for all sorts of purposes, for money, for fame, for power, for political agenda…" She paused at this point. _

"_But…not quite for you being you."_

_Athrun did not reply. After a while, he questioned quietly._

"_What about now?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Now. Are you a happy princess now?" Athrun asked as he took her hand gently, annealing his lips to her fingers._

_She smirked, and shrugged her shoulders at his insecurity, letting him guess._

"_What about you, Athrun?"_

"_Huh?"_

_She looked him in the eye and drew closer deliberately, "Do you believe in fairy tales?"_

_He looked away awkwardly, she was surprised at his gesture._

"_Oh my, don't tell me you do…" She muttered, and pressed. "And true love's kiss too?" _

_Athrun refused to look at her, and she poked him mischievously. "'thrun?"_

"…_A little…" He muttered sheepishly. _

_Cagalli was utterly surprised. "Holy crap, Athrun! You are the most practical and efficient person I know in the universe and you believe in fairy tales! Did you knock your head or something?"_

_He grinned cheekily. Cagalli wondered if it was the trick of the light, for he was blushing. _

"_Athrun?"_

"_I…"_

_She gazed at him curiously, drawing closer to him. He was grinning boyishly to himself, and it seemed that all the light in the world had suddenly gathered on his face. She tugged at his shirt, anxious for an answer, all he gave her was a fleeting glance._

"…_Coz… it happened to me…" He confessed._

_Cagalli was taken aback, and she felt bitter-sweetness in her heart. she never imagined her husband would say something so perfectly romantic in the midst of their hiding... _

_She was pregnant and she was to let no one know, she could tell no one about her emotional roller coaster through the pregnancy. He was married but he can't see nor touch his wife-at least not at the moment. They had no honeymoon, no chance to spend time with each other for a stretch of even five days. Their union meant that both parties will be shortchanged, just who less and who more…And she had always thought that he had gotten the shorter end of the stick. _

_Yet he was happy._

_Cagalli felt her eyes get hot, and she looked away. This made Athrun frown, and he touched her face in concern, as if afraid he had done something that rubbed the wrong way. _

"_Cagalli…?" He implored softly, then lowered his gaze, the look in his eyes turned dark. _

"…_I'm sorry. I know… it's been hard on you…"_

_She shook her head, touching his lip with a finger. "No, don't say that, Athrun. Don't apologize."_

_He gazed at her, seemingly unable to reply. The two of them did not converse, they merely looked at each other in the eye and breathed, together, warm beside each other…_

"_Don't apologize for loving me…" She whispered fiercely. _

_She had this strange desire to be rougher, to grab his shirt bodily and demand that he never do that again. She could not bear to have him even conceive the thought that them being together was a mistake… _

_He widened those intelligent green eyes, pained, then nodded once. Taking her hand, the one that had touched his mouth, and kissed it. Then he curled up beside her, leaning over her, but did not touch her. _

_It was so cruel; to be so close, to let her feel the warmth through his shirt but not touching her. It feels like he was deliberately making her wait, letting her pine for him. Yet here he was, gazing at her like she was the only woman in the world worth looking at._

"_It's real…isn't it?" He asked in the lightest of whispers, meant for her ears alone._

"_What is?" She questioned._

"_This…" Athrun answered, "Us, in this same place, still alive…making babies…"_

_She bit back a laugh at his tactless humor, caressing her husband's face with the back of her hand tenderly._

"_Quite real…" She nodded, "But I'm convinced…I think I believe now, Athrun…"_

"_Believe what…?"_

_She looked at him. "That princesses… could be happy too." _

"_Then…do you believe that there is magic…in a true love's kiss?" He asked tenderly._

_Cagalli only grinned, amused at the flirting._

"_Maybe…" She whispered as she leaned in closer, "Why don't you tell me?"_

_When he kissed her, Cagalli believed…_

Cagalli opened her eyes, and realized that her eyes were wet and her vision blurry. She clutched the blanket and touched her lips, yearning to be able to remember the warmth he left there.

"Athrun…" She whispered, feeling her heart break. She bit her lip in a vain attempt to stop herself from crying, she needed to find him so desperately...

She found the Crimson army, a few stray cats floating in space, but Bethany told her what she needed to know. Athrun is alive, but he had gone back to the PLANTs.

_He is going to end it…_

"My lady?" A voice followed by a knock on the door.

"Yes." She wiped roughly at her cheeks, it sounded like Kisaka. "Come in."

The door slipped opened, Kisaka had a slight frown on his face.

"This might sound odd, but…PLANTs sent an ambassador, saying Chairman Elthman has invited us to port."

"Huh…?" She thought, they were not within PLANTs airspace, and were minding their own business and is quite unarmed. "Why will they do that?"

"I have no idea…it sounds like a trap."

"It does." She agreed. "So decline them…"

"That what I said, but the ambassador insisted, and says that once I deliver this message to you, you will agree."

"What message?" She questioned.

Kisaka's frown deepened, and he look as if he did not want to relay the information.

"General?"

"Apparently…" He said softly, "They have captured Athrun."

ooo

"So let me get the story straight. You are telling me..." Supreme Councilor Albert, the youngest member of the council kneaded his forehead and took a deep breath. "That our reigning Chairman is the culprit responsible for the incident in Janurius, used the ex-Chairman as scapegoat, killed him in space in the name of high treason and wants to exterminate all carriers as part of the efforts to purge the virus. And that now, Chairman Zala is still alive and with Steven and Violet and Uncle Yulie too? They aim to stomp into our office to overthrow the reigning government. Did I cover the whole incredible tale?"

Frank Wisely sipped his tea almost leisurely, and when he placed the cup back onto the saucer, he cleared his throat.

"Yes."

Albert smiled and frowned at the same time, sighing.

"And if I may remind you, the group to be exterminated includes you, Albert."

Eventually he replied. "Hah, it makes sense now…no wonder Yzak told me to try."

"Try what?" Frank Wisely was alert, fearing that Yzak have said more than he ought to.

"Hah, I only remembered saying one day,' I don't care who is Chairman, Chairman Elthman is a good man.' He scoffed, as usual." Albert added with a mischeivious grin. And his exact words were…" He cleared his throat and deepened his voice grumpily. "'You really think Chairman Elthman gives two hoots about what happens to the rest of the council other than himself? Open your eyes, the only reason why we are still alive is because we did not openly resist. Look what happened to Eileen. If you still don't believe me, try starting a rumour that you have been in close contact with the plague victims and see what happens.'"

Frank Wisely almost choked on his Earl Grey, "...What a silly thing to do."

Albert only smiled cheekily, "Hey, we all only live once, and I have always liked Yzak and his daredevil ethics. I'm now working in a place full of subjects infected with an unknown condition, what more can a scientist ask for? Giorados says the first person who finds a solution will probably be hero-worshipped, so we are competing."

"Ah, the head of PLANTs Medical Council, still big-headed and arrogant and silly as ever."

"It's not so silly when I see that you're here. So...are you for me or for my adversaries?"

"Neither, I am here for my wife. She made cookies for every staff and patient… And donated enough money to fund a hospital."

Albert raised an eyebrow, "Never mind the money. That's...alot of cookies, however divine they are."

"You have no idea, let me ask you. Have you tasted sugar?"

"Yes."

"Have you smelt sugar?"

Albert raised one eyebrow at that. "...No."

"You can smell sugar in my house now."  
Albert laughed.

"So what?...You gonna let your wife's cookies go to waste? Since it's your job to kill off the recipients by 23:59 tonight."

"Of course not, hence I am talking to you now."

Pleased, he lifted both hands. "Fair, what do you need me to accomplish?"

"I need a champion, and I'm giving him what he needs to fulfill his heroism."

"I'm your man."

ooo

"It is time, sir." Dearka said.

Tad Elthman's forehead was pressed against his clasped hands, without changing his posture or revealing any trace of elation upon seeing his son, he asked. "Report."

"Our forces are in position, they enemy shows no sign of realization. The Orb forces have not showed up anywhere near, but the invitation has reached them. Athrun Zala has been secured. "

"Very well." Tad Elthman replied, he stood up, facing the sea of strategy forecasters and soilders beneath the glass balcony from which the generals sat. Yzak and Ezaria are amongst the staff, and on the tier below was the rest.

He swept his gaze from left to right, each Zaft solider stood to attention, facing him in silence.

"Begin operation Shadowstrike."

Ooo

"Clear!" Bethany commanded as the combined beam of the ten ships converged. And managed to clear the area as the beam swept past, sending out mobile suits to tackle those ships.

They were able to predict the positions of the ships with stealthium armour because Violet had put together a device that uses magnetic resonance to detect certain metal ions. All they had to do was to target stealthium molecues. And lo and behold, one became ten.

She gritted her teeth, even though Zaft has lost one obvious advantage of remaining invisible, they are still fast. Bethany knew that they were going to die here, but she did not want to go down without a fight. The group within PLANTs needed time, she will buy them some, she will distract the army even if it costs her her life.

Ooo

Lunamaria was secretly relieved that the beam did not hit it mark, they have the means to detect their presence somehow. And when the mobile suits infantry came she had to at least put up proper resistance. "Numbers 1 through 27, await orders. All other pilots, launch."

Numbers 1 through 27 were the clones, and Luna watched as the pilots from the two sides met and began to duel, and she watched the scene brokenly. The other captains have met and arrived to a conclusion. They needed to drag this out, the bombs within the cores of their ships are modified to act as molecular destroyers. Essentially, if one ship blew up in vicinity of another, the chain cascade will go on until there is nothing else to wipe out within range. And there is a chance that the ripple effect will wipe out the civilization on PLANTs as one knows it.

_Basically it will leave humans untouched and disintegrate the walls and ceilings and floor, but in space, losing the ceiling and floor meant certain and gruesome death._

No one knows why and when they got there, chances are there was tampering in the upgrade process and even the leadership may not know of the danger they are in. A few of the most experienced hands tried to disarm or remove the pieces, but it became clear that the moment they attempted to take it apart, it blasted out waves of energy that had meltet computers and left burn makes on some of the guys. After that, no one dared approach.

"Attack!" Luna ordered as more mobile suits appeared on her stimulated battle screen. She could not afford to let any of these nine ships be destroyed, because there was a chance that once nuclear destabilization occurs, the might be activated as well…She gritted her teeth. Determined to survive.

Ooo

Leonidas Fitzbane held the detonator in his hands, it was his ticket back into the favor of those old geezers.

_The cunning ones are the death dealers after all, and they really knew how to make more money, Tad Elthman probably had no idea that the businessman who had been providing him with technology and support was the same who sold the detonator at an astronomical price to their enemies…_

So now he is waiting, waiting for the two forces to kill each other, or one the other. It did not matter, he will eventually stroll in to demand that they obey or die. At the moment he was sorely tempted to have a good time wiping this bunch of so-called superior beings out of existence by the touch of one button, but he thought he would wait for them to work hard first.

_Sure, he will be known as Xenocider, but all great men in history have one thing in common; they all destroyed something for the very first time… _

Then he noticed something that made him frown, the Orb forces are literally unarmed, and he thought that it was a very poor way to threaten him. He was still holding on to the letter and happy to play cat-and-mouse with Cagalli, but now a lone space shuttle departed from the forces and made its way towards the PLANTs homeland while escorted by four smaller space shuttles bearing the Zaft insignia.

He sent out scouts to investigate who was on the Orbian shuttle, and the results turned his blood cold.

It was Cagalli. And he wondered what allure will suddenly make a woman so bold as to proceed to possibly hostile grounds with limited protection. Secondary reports came back telling him something even more shocking, PLANTs were using Athrun as bait.

_He could not believe it, that the one person he had wanted but was denied of the opportunity kill was back on the target board. For some reason, it sent shivers down his spine as he felt adrenaline rush through his system._

Maybe it was just as well that Athrun had faked death and worked under shadows all this while, just for this final moment of exhilaration and fun he could provide by being Leonidas's prey. Slowly, he began to laugh, and his laughter echoed down the corridors, sounding unfulfilled and maniacal even to his own ears, the chance to take revenge had just fallen right in front of his feet, should he take it?

"Let's hunt him down…"

Ooo

Shinn tightened his hold over his mop, and watched from the hood of his cap as the occupants of Lacus's shuttle alighted. Lacus was first, her head shrouded by a bag and her slender arms cuffed, following behind her was a female Zaft red, her hair was bunned up and completely concealed under her beret, and behind them were a dozen armed guards. The ground forces saluted to her. It was a different red from the one they met at Siseneg, and Shinn wondered how many females Luna had on her ship.

"We are late. I will personally escort her." The red said.

He saw the others stir, they were disguised as cleaners and had taken over the CCTVs all by a little tinkering from a middle-aged mechanic named Murdock. There was a door between the landing bay and lift, it was a thick door meant to be used as an emergency airlock. Normally it would not shut with soldiers passing through it, but they had taken over the controls and the plan was the shut it when only the red and Lacus went through it, then knock the red out and escape via the lift.

Shinn continued mopping the lift with his dry mop, and saw his four comrades busying themselves with various tasks. And watched as the group approached the door, the moment Lacus's foot passed through the door he said to the communicator in his collar. "NOW."

The door slipped shut and many layers of steel slipped over the first, sealing the area off from the rest, they are now trapped. Shinn dropped the mop and ran forward, jumping high into the air, the red screamed as he tackled her onto the ground. It was all too easy, the red, caught by surprise, did not even have to time to brace herself for the incoming attack. The other men took Lacus by the arm and led her away safely, running towards the lift. He wasted no time, he grabbed the dagger concealed within his belt and plunged the knife downwards, planning to cut through her throat. That was when he noticed the pink Haro flying right at him.

"No, Shinn!" It cried mightily and bonked right into his face, knocking him backwards and he felt blood drain into his mouth. It had probably broke his nose...

"Shinn!" Someone called, curiously the familiar sweet voice came from the same direction as the Haro and he watched upside down as the hooded female on the other side unveiled her face and clobbered the rest of his comrades, she was the same skillful red who had taken the disk from Siseneg, and he realized in horror that he had been tricked.

Then Andrew came up from behind her and tackled her to the ground, they engaged in hand-to-hand for a while, then as Emily distanced herself they pointed their guns at each other.

Slowly, she raised both hands, "We don't need to fight."

Andrew slowly lowered his gun as well and looked at Lacus, who was wearing the Zaft uniform, she nodded.

Emily Rosetta turned to Lacus, "Come with me, we don't have time to waste!"

Lacus was beside Shinn, her face hovering over his, bruises forming on her arms and neck. "Sorry about it…" He whispered as he blew he nose, the pain worsened and he spit the blood out.

"It's not your fault. Sorry about this too…" She replied with a small grin.

"Don't waste anymore time." Emily Rosetta snapped at her, pointing her gun at Shinn, and Andrew raised his gun as well, "Don't push it, kiddo."

Emily simply glared back, muttering. "The desert tiger…"

"Coming." Lacus replied as she stood up.

"No…Lacus no…" Shinn struggled to sit up, but his vision was blurred and his head pounding, he probably had concussion as well.

Suddenly the place shuddered, and the sounds coming from beyond the steel doors suggested that the shuttle had taken off once again without warning.

Emily looked livid, "Saspuri, that sly fox, I should have made him come with us."

"It's alright, Emily won't hurt the guys downstairs." Lacus said with conviction, and Shinn frowned, they should not believe their enemies. But Shinn had no right to say all that, because at the moment he could not protect his charge.

"Captain was right…" Emily looked around her, turning to Andrew. "Hey you, are the cameras secure?"

Andrew nodded uncertainly, "Yes…"

Emily seemed to relax a little, and from that point on she seemed to become a little younger, a little more like a blushing school girl. She approached Shinn in an almost awkward manner, and handed him something that caused him to forget to blink.

It was a little jeweled key.

_He had locked up Maya's handphone and Stellar's seashell in a jewellery box and locked it, buried it. And handed the key to Luna._

_Then, she asked him why._

"_Because they held the key to my past, but I want you to hold the one to my future."_

"Captain Hawke told me to give it to you if I see you." Emily reported.

Shinn only stared at the key for a very long time, his heart suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. "Did…she say anything?"

Emily shook her head. "Lacus Clyne, let's go." She turned to Andrew again, "And if I were you… I would open the door, you locked Yamato out."

"Wait, we will go with you…"

"There is no need, the more of you there are the more of a burden you will become…It's bad enough that Lacus is coming with me."

"What are you planning to do?" Andrew asked, the girl had seemingly turn to iron. Her demeanor was cold and unyielding.

"I'm going to avenge my family."

ooo

Once Cagalli landed on Aprilius, she made the request immediately.

"I want to see Athrun first, then we talk."

"Suit yourself, my lady." The aide reply smugly, almost leisurely, and Cagalli ignored all that. The possibility of finding Athrun was more than enough as a bargain chip, even know she knew at the back of her mind that it may very well be a trap, her feet moved forward of their own accord.

But what awaited her at the supposed room was not what she expected. The door was left ajar, it was strange, for Athrun was clearly kept prisoner. She ran to the site, and realized in alarm the fallen guards and medics littered the place, it was nearly impossible, there were about 30 men in all. Some she recognized as members of the fleet in space, even a pilot from the Archangel…

In the middle of the room was a couch, and ropes that had seemingly been used to bind someone had been left on the floor.

She picked up the ropes, they were rough and heavy, and at one part there was blood, either he had struggled out of them forcibly or that his wrists were already injured prior to being bound. There were no other signs of struggle besides bullet holes on the floor and furniture, there was also a smell of gunpowder in the air that indicated a gunfight had just taken place. Lastly, a glint caught her eye, it was small amber bottle filled with little white, circular tablets. It was nearly empty, but had his name printed in small bold at the bottom of the label. She looked around panicking, hoping not to find his corpse on the ground, thankfully she did not see him after scanning the floor twice.

"Athrun…?" She yelled out, hoping he was not too far gone to hear her voice, "Athrun! Where are you?"

"Your Majesty." Kisaka came and placed his hands on her shoulders, shaking his head in disapproval.

"ATHRUN!"

"He's gone…" Someone muttered to her left.

She turned to find a black-suited man on the floor, he had taken a bullet wound to his stomach, Cagalli recognized it as a fatal wound, the stomach acids will leak into the abdominal and torso, dissolving the internal organs, it will be a long and painful death. Maybe that was why the medics left him alone…but surprisingly there was a familiar-looking jacket laid over his form like a blanket.

"My name is Cagalli Yula Athha. Tell me, please. Where is Athrun? What happened?" She knelt down and asked.

The man coughed, bringing up vile acids, and smiled coldly in a way that caused her to shiver, he reminded her of Leonidas.

"We were…deceived….we should not have trusted…" He croaked.

"Who…? Who deceived you?" She pressed urgently, she needed to find out as much as she could before he dies, there are not many others she could ask.

"Tad…Elthman…" The man spat, and coughed, the acids are eating at his throat, he was breathing laboriously.

"Shouldn't have… trusted…him…I worked for him…thinking he will bring PLANTs to new heights…But when he had made full use of us…he threw us away…" He laughed softly at himself.

Cagalli suddenly recognized the man, his name was Mikagami, he was a renowned intelligencer so gifted and experienced in interrogation that the others called him 'devil's huntsman.' He worked for whoever is willing to pay.

_In some ways, he did deserve this sort of death..._

"So…he hired marksmen, to kill all of you…" Cagalli theorized, speaking nothing of her thoughts.

"All but one Athrun Zala…" He laughed, it was a terribly choked and strangled sound, "The rumours are true, he is without equal in gunfights…and still too stupid. He recognized me…he knew what I had done to him those months ago…but he still left…this…" He indicated the maroon jacket.

"Yes…he does things like that…" Cagalli replied evenly, "Though I prefer to call it 'mercy'."

"Mercy…huh." Mikagami smiled in an unnerving manner, as if the word meant peace to the world, and peace to him; as if wondering if he deserved it.

After that, his eyes fixed and he went completely still. Cagalli pressed two fingers against the artery on the side of his neck, there was no pulse, he had flatlined prematurely. This was indeed mercy... She shifted the jacket to cover over his face instead, unwilling to look into those empty eyes.

"I got all that down in record, it will come in handy." Kisaka said as he put the recorder back in his pocket, and she nodded her approval.

"What are your thoughts, general?"

"…It's illogical."

She grinned in agreement. "Why?"

"If I was Tad Elthman I wouldn't have risked so much effort and the possibility of even one eyewitness or corpse. A lock, a sleeping gas and a blue rinser would have served much better. This is not his style of doing things."

"You're right…and look, some of the dead are from the Crimson army, are they already inside here…or did they barge in…?"

"…I know what you are guessing."

Let's go. I want to see Elthman."

Ooo

Tad Elthman frowned, reports had reached him from below, that armed militants swept into the room, killing all. It was a great loss to him, he trusted only those closest to him to guard Athrun. And Yula Athha was angry enough that she demanded to see him here and now, of course he would not let her into their military base, so he stalled her at one of the meeting rooms. And oddly enough, the armed militant apparently said they were sent by him, it was strange because he sent no one. Their identities are still being investigated…

He looked down at the second tier, at Yzak Jule's treacherous back.

_Ah… could it be?_

_In the field, the Crimson army has taken beatings after beatings, even though they seem to know where the stealthium ships are, Zaft was still superior in terms of speed and firepower. _

"Don't give them a chance to fight back." He intoned.

_Command was relayed downwards towards the strategy forecasters and soon the battle formation changed to maximize damage, but at them same time they were protecting themselves, as if afraid of damage. It was most obvious with the ten stealthium ships._

"Sir" Someone interrupted his thoughts, " Ensign Emily Rosetta seeks audience, she has Lacus Clyne."

"Later." He dismissed the interruption.

"…She is insisting, saying she has important information to report regarding the stealthium ships."

He sighed, "Very well, let them in." He gave a look to the guard beside him, this boy is a red, and has been promoted to the faith squad.

The door slipped open, and Emily Rosetta came in with Lacus Clyne in tow, a gun pointed at the latter's head.

"The traitor, Lacus Clyne, we meet again." He said as he stood up, and graciously kissed her hand.

"Takes one to know one." She replied with a smile.

Emily pressed the gun towards her temple.

"Miss Clyne, please watch your tongue in front of our highest ranking officer."

Then she turned to Tad Elthman, "Sir, I apologize for bringing in a weapon in front of you, but I believe that you noticed that our forces are not doing their best. Actually, Captain Luna found something strange within the ship's engine core and sent me back to tell you personally."

"Why not communicate the conventional way?" He asked, the information was alarming, and he fought to keep his voice leveled as he realized more and more were happening around him without his knowledge. It seemed almost orchestrated.

"We believe our communications has been compromised, and the moment the enemy finds out we know, they will detonate."

"Detonate what?" He asked impatiently.

"Chairman…" She dropped her voice, her eyes glinting. "There ar molecular destroyers in our engine cores…All of them. And…"

She took a breath.

"I think you're responsible."

It happened all too quickly, Emily pushed Lacus out of the way as she pointed her gun at him, "DIE, monster!" The guard beside him flared to life, running forward to knock Emily down, she evaded him with a quick sidestep and took another aim as she found balanced, this time at his forehead. But the same guard straddled her from behind, and shouted, "Emily, what are you doing?"

"!" She widened her eyes in recognition, they seemed to know each other.

"Spencer…is that you? Let go of me, he's the one who blew Janurius! He killed papa and mama. Let GO!" She stepped on his leg, and elbowed his throat, renewing her aim. Tad Elthman only watched, and cursed inwardly.

"No Emily!" Spencer Gladys snapped as he brough his knife to bear. There was a moment of red.

Emily Rosetta stood unblinkingly for a moment or two, then slowly looked down to see a bloody hole on the right side of her torso. Lacus gasped softly, covering her small hands over her mouth to stifle a sob.

"I'm sorry, Emily." Spencer cried softly.

_He had stabbed and impaled her from behind._

Spencer went forward to twist the gun out of her fingers and catch her gently as he pulled the dagger out.

"Chairman Elthman, the threat has been neutralized." Spencer Gladys reported, fighting to keep his voice steady.

"Good work." He said as he stood up, shaken.

_This assassin got close, too close, and he intended to make an example out of her…_

"Call the medics…please…" Lacus approached slowly, pleading with Spencer, who warded her off with his gun. The other bodyguards then grabbed her arms, locking her in position.

"Chairman Elthman, are you alright?" They asked.

"I'm fine." He replied in a dead-panned voice.

"Call the medics! Please…!" Lacus implored.

"None of your business, Lacus Clyne. I'll do it…" Spencer snapped.

"There is no need." Tad Elthman cut them both off.

There was a pin-drop silence that resulted from the declaration, and slowly, Spencer understood, he laid Emily down as gently as he could, and backed off.

"Spen…cer…?" Emily asked feebly, it was a miracle she was still alive after a hole was being bored through her liver, her blood was vermillion, and copious enough to start staining the floor at his feet.

"You'll be alright…" Spencer replied to his friend, though he did not sound sure at all.

_Tad Elthman begged to differ. She will not be alright, not as far as he was concerned…_

He turned coldly to all who were staring at him, the place had gone quiet.

"This Zaft soldier here tried to assassinate me…" He declared, and Emily's gun from Spencer, pulled back the safety and aimed it at Emily's abdominal wound. She widened her eyes for the last time, then rasped, "Go to hell, Elthman…", and spat weakly as his shoe.

She missed, it was a pathetic show of defiance, really. He ignored her.

"This is what will happen to all who tries."

With that, he shot at her repeatedly. Her desperate, helpless screams echoed along with the gunshots, and she was pushed back by sheer force. And by the time Tad Elthman had emptied one entire magazine into her, the last bullet pushed her body down the stairs. She rolled and tumbled down, leaving a gory trail of blood and stretches of intestines that spilt out from the opening in her abdomen.

Her body landed right in front of Yzak's feet.

Tad Elthman glared at Yzak, and the latter glared back.

Spencer Gladys shouted helplessly, but he did not seem to move from where he was.

He next turned to Lacus. "Lacus Clyne…You knew…you helped, and that makes you her accomplice." He snapped another magazine into place and pointed it at her head.

"Stop!" Yzak declared.

"Yzak…?" Ezaria hissed, Yzak was pointing his pistol at Tad Elthman's head.

"Enough, don't hurt her. This is madness." Yzak declared.

Tad Elthman laughed, "What makes you think you have any right to tell me what to do? Little Jule? See, even your mother knows I am right."

Ezaria has a gun in hand too, and was pointing her gun shakily at Yzak. "Yzak…don't do this."

"He killed Sedna." Yzak said quietly, there was another collective gasp in the room, Tad Elthman frowned. Dearka only looked on, his gaze shifting in between his friend and his father.

"And I will kill him."

"Yzak? NO!" Lacus shouted.

Yzak fired, but Tad Elthman quickly stepped behind the glass, for he knew it to be bullet-proof. Yzak cursed, then with surprising speed and stealth, he ran past his mother, evading bullets and up the stairs, disarming the other guards. He was like a wolf, and when Tad Elthman had realized, he was right in front of him, the look in his eyes cold and foreign.

"Die."

A millisecond before he fired, Ezaria grabbed her son from behind, "No YZAK! You cannot kill him!"

"WHAT? MOTHER GEDOFF!" His bullet swept past Tad Elthman's ear.

"NO LISTEN. I always told you that you have no father…but…" This made Tad Elthman's heart skip a beat, "Ezaria...?"

"GEDOFF!" He hollered, and fired one bullet that made its mark, almost. For at the same time there was a shot. And it was Yzak who began to bleed.

Tad Elthman looked behind him, it was Dearka, who had finally moved from his spot at his side. Dearka whispered helplessly, his machine gun raised, his hands shaking. "I can't let you kill him…"

"Dear…ka…? What are you doing…? I thought…" Yzak muttered, a hand slowly began to cover over the wound on his right shoulder, he was beginning to bleed, the bullet had probably grazed the artery. The injury had costs him his aim.

"I'm sorry, Yzak…but…!" Dearka cried, and Yzak only stared at him for a while, then let out a strangled laugh, and lowered his weapon, knowing he could no longer aim well enough to kill.

A wave of bitter-sweetness swept past Tad Elthman's senses, that his son would come to defend him.

Slowly, he got up, and pointed his gun at Yzak's head. He had to finish the show.

Ezaria placed herself in between the gun and Yzak. "Don't hurt him, please." She whimpered, looking right into his eyes, he bit his lip.

"Ezaria…get out of the way." He commanded bitterly. "…He committed treason."

Ezaria only shook her head, and even got down on her knees. "Don't Tad, please…" She took a deep breath, and said something that caused him to pause.

"He is your…"

Suddenly a series of shots broke out in the room, and Tad Elthman could only watch in horror as the mass of forecasters were struck down, there was chaos and screaming, and the bullets came from behind him.

"Dearka!" Tad Elthman shouted, and knocked the gun out of his son's hands as he wrestled him to the ground, warding off his bodyguards.

"What do you think you are doing?" Tad yelled, Dearka fought him with all his might, no recognition in his gaze. He grabbed Dearka's shoulder and shook him, "STOPPIT!"

Suddenly Dearka seemed to come to his senses. He looked at his father with wide eyes, and asked, "Fa…ther…?"

"Why did you do that?" He demanded.

"Do what?" Dearka asked blankly, "What…have I done…?"

Yzak bit his lip, "Dear…ka?"

Tad Elthman was suddenly afraid of the obvious fact. "Dearka…?"

"He has the plague…!" Someone shouted, "He has been infected!"

Tad Elthman backed off in shock.

"Communication incoming from EAF!"

Leonidas Fitzbane's face appeared on the big screen, he was smiling. "Greetings. I hope I have gotten your attention, the 11th fleet is now under my control. I won't say why, other than the fact that I could be very persuasive. With this I would like to effect an exchange."

"What the hell…?" Some of the staff muttered, a few tried to contact the various crafts captains, but it yielded no response. Tad Elthman realized at last that things were spiraling out of control. And quickly.

"You have two hours to hand over Athrun Zala. If not, I will open fire on PLANTs."

"Freeze!" Someone shouted as he pointed a big gun at Tad Elthman's head.

A bunch of people barged into the control room, and Athrun appeared, he raised his gun over his head and fired a shot to make their presence known. Those who tried to flee were instantly enveloped by guns. Mark Jocose pointed his gun at Tad Elthman's head still, and smiled.

Others surrounded the guards holding Lacus. "Unhand her."

Violet pointed a pistol at Ezaria's forehead, motioning at Yzak to get out of the way.

By virtue of the people in the control room being experienced soldiers, no one screamed or yelled, but they stood up, trying to see what has happened at the command balcony. Some of them widened their eyes, amazed at the sight of a few supposedly deceased members of the Supreme Council.

"That's...Supreme Councilor Bane..."

"Hey." Steven Bane raised a hand for good sport, Violet rolled her eyes very liberally.

"Supreme Councilor Amamiya..."

"Aren't they supposed to be dead?"

"And Chairman Zala! Someone grab him! Make sure he doesn't escape!" Someone shouted from the floor.

But no one moved, no one dared to approach Athrun. Anyone who dared to even think about apprehending Athrun were instantly glared down by Mark Jocose.

Then Yulie Amarfi walked in, assisted by his son. Tad Elthman paled.

"Long time no see, Tad."

He could not find his voice to reply, this is the end, this is checkmate. It was a thorough defeat, he had plotted and gotten rid of so many of them, but these roaches survived.

"Athrun...?" Dearka whispered.

Athrun looked at Dearka, Yzak was alarmed, "Don't go near him. He had been...infected." Athrun did not reply, only nodded. Then signalled, those soldiers to his right ran into the room down the two flights of stairs that flanked the balcony he was standing on, pointing their rifles at the communicators and strategy forecasters. His gazed roamed over to gaze at Yzak, then as if deciding that he was alright, his sight drifted and winched at the body of the female Zaft red at the bottom of the stairs.

Slowly and regally, Athrun walked past Tad Elthman and to the control panel, and spoke into the microphone, his voice projected beyond the glass panels instantly. It was strong and charismatic, it was one employed by a victor.

"My name is Athrun Zala, Tad Elthman has been captured. Leave this place if you don't want to die."

Ooo

A series of gunshots sounded from the floor above, and Cagalli's head snapped up in response. "What was that? What happened at the command balcony?"

"My lady!" Kisaka yelled, 'I think its not safe, let's leave this place."

"No." She shook her head, she knew Athrun was somewhere around, if only she knew where he was.

"Let's go and have a look."

oooooo

It is chapter 27~! Huff huff huff*

This is the longest chapter yet, and this is only half the battle, the other half will be finished up in the next chapter.

Dear Miyu Nanami san! I apologize for the belated update, as I edited the grammar inspiration began to come to me to write a few more scenes and this is 2000 words more than before editing grammar, I hope you can forgive me. ;p

Please R & R!


	28. Chapter 28: I believe

Chapter 28: I believe

"Till death do us part…" ~-Athrun Zala

Ooo

"My name is Athrun Zala, Tad Elthman has been captured. Leave this place if you don't want to die."

The declaration stood like a death sentence, and then he turned to Leonidas Fitzbane still on screen.

"Leonidas." He greeted.

The air stood still as the other man merely widened his eyes, "You…"

"Yes, me." Athrun interrupted him remorselessly, "I'm tired of games. If you want me, come and get me. Don't harm the innocent."

The other man laughed a maniacal laugh, it was a while before he managed to speak.

"Don't you understand the situation?! You have no rights to make any demands! I have the 11th fleet under my control and I will destroy the PLANTs if I need to. If anything, I want you to come, begging, on your knees. And you midgets are my hostages, all of you…Even Cagalli."

Athrun's face betrayed a trace of emotion at long last.

"Oh, you did not know? Ask Elthman…he used you as a bait to lure Cagalli Yula Athha to the PLANTs. She's probably somewhere in the same building as you now. Maybe killed, maybe tortured…" Leonidas Fitzbane paused dramatically.

Athrun glared pointedly at Tad Elthman for a moment, but did not make a sound. Then turned back to Leonidas Fitzbane on screen.

"Leonidas Fitzbane, let's talk." Athrun said, and the room was suddenly silent as they watched him raise a detonator in his hand. Leonidas merely studied him with disdain.

"…I know you are controlling the fleet with the bombs in the engine core, but you have no idea what you are dealing with. These are not the average blue rinsers, they target inorganic material and wipe out anything within ripple range. Including you."

Leonidas paled, he had assumed no one else will know what's going on.

"…What are you trying to say?"

"That I can destroy you and your fleet within 30 seconds."

People around gasped, but no one dared to move or to confront Athrun.

"You're bluffing…" Leonidas said uncertainly.

"Try me." Athrun conceded leisurely, "All I have to do is to destroy one of the Stealthium ships, whether by force or by command. Remember, the Crimson army is undefeatable, and they are loyal to me…"

"…You won't…Athrun Zala…You're too nice, too benevolent, too merciful for your own good." Leonidas smiled sinisterly.

"PLANTs will be caught in it too… I'll make sure it does..."

"That's the beauty of this weapon. The forces get diminished by organic material, human bodies, for example…The ripple won't spread beyond December one even after your entire army becomes space dust." Athrun explained patiently, he felt sweat meander down his temple. He deliberately made himself speak slowly.

_The whole threat hung on this one lie, no one knows the force of the bombs once they detonate. _

No one made a sound, not one dared to breathe as the threat sat out there in the open. Leonidas Fitzbane was rendered speechless.

"But…" Athrun went on. "I can cut you a deal. Land on Aprilius, we talk. Just one unarmed space shuttle, no escorts, no more tricks…We talk."

The man on the other line looked livid, as if he was about to explode, then gritted his teeth and in a tight voice he consented.

"Let's talk then…"

The connection was severed, then a wave of muttering passed amongst the staff.

"The police have surrounded the place, they have sealed the exits and entrances." One of the soldiers who was on line with team two in Yzak's office reported.

Athrun nodded. No one gets in or out.

_Frank Wisely had kept his end of the bargain. Instead of going to exterminate the carriers, he would pretend instead to have received a tip-off regarding terrorists trying to take over HQ. Sent as little policemen as he reasonably could to the carriers and pretend, once again, to be overwhelmed by angry patients. And stomp into HQ after all Athrun's men had gone in, trapping them, the good guys and the bad guys._

_Now all he had to do was to finish the show…_

"Team leaders, assemble." Athrun commanded. And Mark Jocose walked over, Yzak stood up with difficulty, shrugging off Ezaria Jule's hand. It was also then that the door behind Athrun slipped open to admit Shinn, Kira, Mwu and Andrew bearing arms. More gasping occurred.

"Lacus…! Team one- rescue the princess team-reporting." Mwu gushed in relief as he saw that Lacus was unharmed. Gazing very briefly at Spencer Gladys.

"Team three, finished mission of escorting Supreme Councilor Yulie Amarfi, reporting." Nicole declared proudly.

"Team four reporting." Said Yzak grimly. "Awaiting orders."

"Team five reporting." Mark Jocose said.

"Hey we are here too, don't forget us!" Murdoch reported from the walkie talkie. Athrun could imagine him now, toothpick in mouth, donut and coffee in hand. A bemused Meyrin by his side.

"Good work." Athrun said with a slight smile. "There are things we must accomplish before Fitzbane gets here, team two is to continue surveillance, we will need their support."

"You have it, boy." Murdoch said, he seemed to be chewing, Athrun thought he may have been right about the donuts.

He looked at Mwu, then nodded at Kira meaningfully, and lowered his voice, "…Find Cagalli and keep her safe."

"Athrun…? Don't you want to…" Kira questioned in surprise, but Athrun would not let him continue. "…Team three, take Lacus as well as the Supreme Council with you and meet the police outside…peacefully. Show them who we are."

Nicole widened his eyes in consideration of what Athrun was really asking him to do, then responded. "Yes sir."

"Team four...Yzak…sieve out all who is willing to cooperate, escort the rest out, we are not taking these people as hostages…" He sighed slowly, and turned to the forecasters below.

"The battle has not ended… At any point of time, if Leonidas Fitzbane decides to try, we will have to be ready to fight. Either that…or to get ready to evacuate December city." Some of the staff nodded at that, gathering their wits about them.

He went on. "You may not understand or agree with what I have done, or what I am going to do, but I think you all here have a reason to fight, someone to protect. This place… is my home, and I will do what I can to defend it. Let us be united in that. Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule."

Ooo

Yzak only widened his eyes as Athrun stretched a hand out at him, pressing the detonator into his hands.

"Zala…?"

Athrun ignored him totally.

"Team five. I'll let you decide what you want to do with him." He pointed at Tad Elthman. "Just ensure he doesn't get out of your sight." Ezaria moved in front of Tad, Athrun only frowned, and employed his only weapon to ensure these two never team up again.

"Ezaria Jule…you can drop the act, you have done well. You betrayed him, you sent assassins to kill all his men."

_It was another lie, the truth was that when Mark tied up his hands, he pressed the other end of the rope into his palms with the detonator and whispered, "You must somehow get near Tad Elthman, we'll put up a circus show here." Later on, as the interrogators filed in, men were sent to kill them all, Athrun guessed they were indeed from Ezaria, to silence all. But Shiho and gang came just in time to save his life. _

"What…?" Ezaria gasped in surprise, Tad Elthman did not even look at her."

"Tad, listen! He's lying…! You must believe me!" She almost yelled in panic.

He ignored her, Athrun only watched, satisfied as he indicated Dearka and Spencer. "Take the wounded with you, leave no men behind."

"Of course." Mark and some of the men chorused.

"Move out."

Someone grabbed Dearka and Spencer, the soldiers started moving at command, running down the stairs and beyond the gates. There were voices and shouting, and order began to be established.

ooo

"Wait!" Yzak snapped, his voice was barely audible through the din. He did not move from the spot, neither did Kira.

"Are you mad?! You're going to be here sitting ducks? Fitzbane will kill you!" He snapped anxiously.

Athrun only gazed at him calmly, and did not make a sound. Infuriated, Yzak punched him.

"Idiot!" He chided, then staggered a little, blood loss and injury taking its toll on him, he felt his vision blur for a moment. Kira caught him and broke his fall.

"Yzak, you're hurt…!" He berated, Yzak merely snarled and shoved him off roughly_._

_If anyone, Kira should be stopping Athrun, he was his best friend, and Yzak was disappointed at his lack of action, it spelt apathy. _

Lacus was still there, she slowly gestured at Shiho and Nicole to wait, then gingerly walked back to where Athrun stood, and gazed at him. Yzak looked at her hopefully, wishing that she will be able to stop him.

"Athrun, are you sure…?" She implored, her voice small and gentle.

"This is your last chance, you…might never see her again…Are you certain…?"

Yzak wondered what she was talking about, to a certain degree, he had guessed, he just was not willing to accept or believe.

Athrun merely smiled in a small and sad way, "Yes, Lacus. I am sure…"

"You… have never managed to look people in the eye and lie…look at me, Athrun." She probed, touching his chin with her fingers.

"Look at me and say that again." She pleaded.

_He did not,Yzak knew he could not. Athrun was apparently afraid that he will shed the tears that he could not afford to shed._

"You want to see her again, don't you?"

She had seemingly hit the nail on the head, and Athrun could not find a reply.

"It's better this way, she'll be safe…" He whispered miserably. "I…can't risk her being hurt by that man again."

Yzak gasped inwardly, he had heard more than is being said.

_Athrun was trying to do what Yzak had not managed to, he was trying to protect the woman he loves, even if it meant eternal separation..._

Lacus only widened her eyes, hesitated, then nodded grimly. Slowly, she fished his pendant and wedding rings out of her pocket. She tried to put them on for him, but he warded her off with a hand, for some reason, afraid.

"Don't, keep it. Pass them to her…" He whispered brokenly.

She only shook her head adamantly as she evaded his hand and rounded behind him, clasping the chain around his neck.

"…You either keep it, or you do it yourself." She declared.

As Lacus began her descend down the stairs Yzak could just about prevent himself from shouting. "Zala, you listen! You can get everyone to do your dirty work but I don't care, I am not going to watch you kill yourself."

"I'll be fine…trust me." He said, taking Yzak by surprise, "I have a way to stop him, and Yzak…it has to be you…they won't listen to anyone else." Athrun indicated the sea of strategy forecasters seated below.

Yzak hesitated, he saw it. If there was a coup and Chairman Elthman has been overthrown, it left the decisions up to the next deputy in command. Steven and Violet and Yulie have been MIA and just return, they gazed steadily at him, and he realized the entire room was looking solely at him.

Grudgingly, Yzak glared at Athrun as he walked down the stairs back to his seat. He replaced the commander's hook in his ear.

He took a deep breath, and sighed.

"This is Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule. Chairman Elthman's atrocity has been found out, I am taking temporary command of the 11th fleet. I am sure all of you have heard the correspondence between Chairman Zala and Leonidas Fitzbane. Please help, we must defend our nation…"

He could see determination in some of the soldier's gazes, there was a beehive of activity in the tier below, thankfully, majority of the soldiers chose to stay and cooperated, those who refused were shooed off by Mark Jocose at gunpoint. Some of them tried contacting the various crafts and were relieved with any kind of response. Some were crying , other were cheering. It sounded joyous, like a reunion, there was unity in the place.

The Supreme Councilors were still watching him, and with that, they nodded, and left. Steven even gave him and thumbs up and a flying kiss before the door closed.

"…Let's protect our home together." Yzak whispered with a bitter smile playing by his lips, knowing that the intervention had just saved hundreds, probably thousands of lives. He turned and gazed back at Athrun, at last forlorn on the uppermost tier. Athrun grinned, but his expression was unexpectedly, sad.

"Goodbye, Yzak."

Ooo

And before any of them could react, Athrun activated the switch on the panel that flattened the stairs and sunk them into the ground. He gave a small childish smile, he had itched to prank somebody since he first found out about the contraption, and he wondered what was going on in that devious mind of Frank Wisely's when he built it. Then a sheet of reinforced steel slipped across the division between the first and second tier, shutting off the rest of the world from where he was.

A wave of silence passed over the soldiers like electricity as they saw the incoming steel wall, some ran up frantically and tried to scale the flattened terrain, sliding down miserably.

"Warlord?!" Someone yelled.

"Leave, all of you."

"No!" One of the younger ones declared in protest, "Leave no man behind, you said it yourself, sir! We don't abandon our comrades!"

"I'm not your comrade." Athrun answered quietly. "I am just a liar."

The soldiers eyes widened unanimously, and they studied him, Mark Jocose stiffened, only Yzak did not seem surprised in the least. He was pretty sure Violet would perform her magnificent eye-roll if she was still here.

"The truth is, I married Cagalli Yula Athha." An audible gasp, someone mouthed 'Impossible', followed once again by the dead-panned silence and Athrun went on emotionlessly.

"I married her right after I became Chairman, all that I've done, all that I've said, it's all a lie."

_It was almost unbearable to have these men who had trusted him to look at him as if they are about to cry, but he was banking on that, he needed them to know and understand how ruthlessly complete his betrayal was. _

"The two children you guys see running around the ship, little Max and Marlene, you guys ever wondered why they look so much like me?" _He paused, sensing that they had seen the truth, they had to._

"According to my wife, they have my eyes." He said quietly.

"...Bastard..." one if the soldiers cursed.

"Leave." Athrun said simply, finding it unnecessary to add command into his voice. He knew it will be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Mark Jocose widened his eyes, realization dawning on him as to what Athrun was trying to do.

The youngest soldier backed off to the other side of the wall as it slid past them, the rest followed suit.

Suddenly, Yzak saluted.

Athrun bit his lip.

Mark was last, he lingered, hesitated...Then fell into a sharp salute, as if renewing his final promise to Athrun.

_I'll bury you beside your parents._

Athrun returned the salute.

The door was shut.

Ooo

_Ezaria Jule has many secrets in her life…_

_Those years ago, she fell in love with a man who had been enraptured with Lenore Zala. She waited and waited, but he did not seem to see or understand her, in the depths of her sorrow, Ezaria found out a harrowing truth, the genetic profiling showed that it was not possible at all. His genes and hers will inevitably be sterile, resultantly it would be illegal by state law. She gave up and married her match-made husband, it was a loveless, sterile marriage. It was a front, to allow both of them to move on in their careers. _

_Later, as Patrick married Lenore, she watched as he fell out of love and into despair, and at that time she was secretly glad, for he might finally look around and hopefully, look her in the eye and realize that she has been right beside him. But no such thing happened, he remained unmoved by her approaches, but she could not leave him, knowing that he needed every bit of comfort his broken heart could find. In his drunken stupor, they slept together, and that night was the happiest night of her life. But what came after was beyond expectation._

_She became pregnant._

_When she missed her period for a second month in a row, she could not help but be surprised, and lo and behold, she was already 6 weeks pregnant. It was splendid news, it showed that the genetic profiling was wrong, the world was wrong, she was right in clinging to love. Yet for some reason, she was afraid to tell him the truth, she did not want him to accept the relationship just because there was now potentially a baby involved._

_The other option was to abort the child, but she did not want to, for the baby growing in her was a pure miracle. She discussed the possibility of a child with her husband, who surprisingly talked about tax rebates, and the issue was settled, she conveniently lied to say that the child was his, and the masquerade continued._

_A few months later, a pudgy baby with bright eyes was born. She delighted herself in motherhood as the toddler tumbled around the house, Yzak is an intelligent little boy with natural leadership qualities. And her husband adored the little one, always calling him 'little devil' and playing Lego and taught him to play golf before he reached the height of a golf club. It made her very guilty, she had lied to him, but this man nurtured Yzak to the best of his abilities. He would show Yzak off at every house party and event he could possibly bring the child to, proudly declaring that the child was his son, and dismissing comments like, 'He looks more like his mother.', and retorts with a, 'Of course, he's his mother's son too, right? Ez.'_

_Ezaria could only try to smile. _

_To Ezaria, the best part about Yzak was that he inherited his eyes. Ezaria's eye colour was like a piece of iceberg evacuated from the Arctic, but the little one had clear, bright blue pupils with a beautiful tinge of indigo at the periphery, like the graduations of a rainbow. Being a mother was the toughest, but most fulfilling period in her life. Yet she had never regretted her decision to give birth to and nurse this little boy. She knew that one day he would be her bargain chip, her key to a life she never had. _

_Yzak seems to understand her intents to a certain degree, one day when they were watching an ad regarding a multipurpose screwdriver that will somehow enhance one's life and bring salvation to humanity, the two-and-the-half-year-old boy turned to her slowly and asked._

"_Mommy…am I your tool?"_

_Shocked, appalled and ashamed, she said, "No." _

_Her husband was assassinated one day when Yzak was four, Yzak cried and cried when he saw his father's dead body. _

_Her only regret was that she had not yet told him the truth. _

_She swore to herself that one day she would tell the truth, one day when this little boy makes his real father proud…_

Such a moment has come.

"Are you alright?" Ezaria asked Tad, they were tied and blindfolded and trapped in a broom cupboard somewhere in the building. She could only gauge his position by the sound of his voice and breathing.

"I'm alright..." He replied stoically, still unwilling to engage her.

"Tad…I have something to tell you…" She bit her lip.

ooo

"…_Whether by force or by command."_

Bethany understood what she must do as she watched the procession; a space shuttle escorted by several mobile suits detached itself from the main EAF fleet. From then on, it is unclear as to who holds the detonator. But the presence of the Crimson army serves as deterrence against the EAF doing anything rash, the 11th fleet are hostages, but hostages become useless once they are dead…

She contacted Lunamaria Hawke, using a lone ancient channel, it was at a wavelength which became obsolete since before the cosmic era due to the low quality, but at this moment it will be almost undetectable and will serve her purposes.

"This is a strange development...Captain Hawke." She began.

Lunamaria was pensive, and nodded as she told her. "Bethany, let the Crimson army stay close, please."

"This are my standing orders." She agreed, then paused. "But it is also my orders to keep the men safe…"

The fastest and safest way was not to weather it out with the 11th Zaft fleet, but to run, as far as possible.

_But Bethany could not, it was not so much Athrun's orders that she was following, but his requests… _

"_Please…live."_

"I have consulted with the other captains on the 11th fleet, we are not allowed to communicate directly with HQ, they have threatened to kill us all starting from the non-stealthium ships if we are caught trying…"

"You want me to relay information to Zaft HQ."

"Yes. It should not be difficult, yours is a Zaft ship too."

"…You have it."

"I need one more favor."

"Sell it to me, Captain Hawke."

Lunamaria only smiled, "I hereby acknowledge the Crimson army as ally, as part of the Zaft army, from this point forth we will fight together, and not against each other. Due to the delicate situation at hand, we will conceal this alliance until further notice." She turned from the screen, "Pass it down to all vessels, do not engage with any of the Crimson army."

Bethany widened her eyes as some of the bridge crew smiled and cheered, as the leading commander of the 11th fleet, it was within Luna's authority to forge a temporary alliance. It also meant that these vagabonds could finally go home after the war…

_There was only one more hurdle to cross. _

"You have my full cooperation." Bethany replied.

"Thank you." Luna replied, "I…think I know a way to prevent them…or anyone from detonating our ships, but I need you to put up a show with me."

"…I'm all ears. And also, regarding the bombs, I have an idea...though its not a very good one..."

Ooo

"What…?" Cagalli uttered. "What do you mean by evacuate?"

"Exactly what I said, my lady. This has gone too far, I have allowed you into enemy territory shamefully unarmed, now that it has become clear that the situation is out of control, your safety becomes my only priority." Kisaka said as he took her hand, pulling her onto her feet.

"No…We can't go now… Athrun is so close…" She stopped and turned to Kira, "You said he is, didn't you? He's just upstairs, isn't he?"

Kira nodded grimly, his footsteps pausing. "He is…but…"

"But what?!" She demanded, tired of being denied of the one thing she needed to do. "He's…!"

"He is not my priority." Kisaka snapped, interrupting her protests. "We have to go, you should know better than to be caught up in PLANTs domestic affairs now."

She merely widened her eyes, but refused to let Kisaka drag her off. "No…"

"But my lady…! This is for your safety."

"My safety…?" She shook her head.

"Cagalli. It's not the time to be stubborn…" Kira said placatingly. "Athrun wants to keep you safe too…"

"So he's telling me to leave too…?" She challenged.

"No he isn't…" Kira denied.

"Then, I'm not going to leave him behind…not this time." She tore her arm out of Kisaka's grip.

"Lady Cagalli?!"

"You guys don't understand!" She muttered reproachfully. "I'm going to find him, I have to."

"Cagalli?" Kira asked.

"I have to get to Athrun…!" She shouted as she nodded a quick apology.

Before anyone could react, she broke ranks, grabbing a gun from one of her guards and pushing two men towards Kisaka, it effectively blocked up the corridor, then she ran with all her might.

"Lady!"

But Cagalli was off, and refused to be caught. The men gave chase.

ooo

Spencer's mind was blank, and was occasionally caught up with the image of Emily's bloodied and mangled body lying at the bottom of the stairs beside Yzak Jule. It was almost enough to make him pull his hair out and scream, but he restrained himself, knowing that his first and only priority is to escape his captors.

_Spencer always nursed a soft spot for Emily, it wasn't love, it was more like brotherhood. _

_He admired her guts, looked up to her as an ally, a capable soldier, a great comrade to have. She was popular on the ship, and Spencer could not fathom why everyone found her so charming. Maybe it was the way she talked loudly, burped whenever she feels like it and would declared the length of her latest burp. When she laughs she snorts like a pig, and likes to eat with one leg propped on the chair and Spencer had teased her about it to no end at how un-girly she was. She ignored him, and there was once when he was found in a tight spot, and she saved his life. She was ambitious, but unwilling to backstab to climb the ranks, she hits back hard, but trusts and forgives easily. _

_Until the incident at Janurius._

_Spencer was disappointed at how the best of persons can become unmade. Literally overnight, she changed, she became a cold and distant being. It was as if a part of her had died along with those in Janurius. Her parents, her sister, once her motivation, her strength; had become her poison. She strove for revenge, and was willing to die to get it. She fought the fiercest and the hardest during the first battle between the space rebels and Zaft, many of their friends died, but they killed Athrun as well, or so they thought. _

_But what came after that sweet revenge was not what Spencer expected, he expected a smile, some glowing pride, but all that remained was a ghost of who she was, an empty doll. The war had truly broken her._

_Now she is dead. And Athrun Zala is still alive, somehow she was misled into thinking that Tad Elthman was the culprit, but Spencer was not buying that._

_He tightened his fist, if he could not save his friend, he could at least fulfill her final wish…_

He gazed at the three men guarding him, looking for an opportunity to strike.

ooo

_"Athrun, give it to me." Lenore Zala said sternly._

"_Give what?" The seven year old Athrun Zala questioned as innocently as he could, he did not want to let his mother find out about what he had done._

"_You know what." She replied coldly._

"_I really don't know what you are talking about…" He muttered absentmindedly. _

"_Fine. Have it your way, she declared as she began a beeline march to his room._

"_Mother, you can't come in!" He protested as he blocked his mother's passage frantically. _

"_Give it to me then. Unless you are hiding something"_

"_I'm not hiding anything." He denied, and thought quickly. "It's just…Ah, I found a cockroach inside yesterday!" _

"_Well." Lenore Zala flinched at the word 'cockroach', but forced opened the door nevertheless. "Looks like I need to clean your room. Where did you keep it?"_

"_Keep what?" He played dumb, while discreetly moving to cover the hiding place._

"_The blue bird you trapped two days ago." _

_Athrun could not reply, he had been found out. _

_He reached under his bed, and obediently took out a shoe box with holes poked on top, the box was shuffling in an erratic manner. But he held it dearly in his hands, and did not pass it to his mother._

"_Athrun Zala, do you know that it's very cruel of you to do that?" Lenore Zala was crossed, she had just used his full name._

"…_Why? I give it seeds and water and play with it everyday." He defended himself weakly. "I'm sure it will be happy…"_

_Lenore Zala sighed, and shook her head._

"_Athrun…look out of the window."_

_He did. _

"_What do you see?"_

"_The sky…?" He replied uncertainly, not sure what his mother was getting at. _

"_Very good, tell me, Athurun. Do you see any end to the sky?"_

"…_No." He replied truthfully, surveying the boundless blue._

"_Yes, the sky is so big. And you… are putting something that was meant to fly free in such a big sky in such a tiny space, do you think it will ever be happy?"_

_Athrun looked down. _

_He shook his head wordlessly._

"_Then do you know what you should do?"_

_He nodded, but made no movement to release his prey. _

_Lenore Zala sighed as she realized her son was about to cry. She squatted down and touched his face, prompting him to look her in the eye. _

"_Son…" she whispered tenderly, and gazed at him right in the eye. "When you love something, let it go."_

"_But… I won't see him anymore..." He whispered miserably._

_Lenore Zala sighed patiently, "…If it doesn't come back, it was never meant to be yours. But if it does, it will be yours forever." She paused, giving Athrun time to digest those words._

"_If you love something, you must give it a chance to love you back, if not…that is not true love."_

"_So…if he comes back, I get to keep him?" He asked shakily._

_Lenore Zala simply nodded._

_He slowly opened the lid of the shoebox, out hopped an Eastern bluebird with a beautiful heart-shaped gradient apron. He cupped the bird with both his hands gently, and brought it to the windowsill, and asked his mother one last time, "Will he come back?"_

"_If he wants to."_

_Athrun took a deep breath, then opened his palms. And the bird, realizing that it is now free, spread its wings, and took off. _

_After that, Athrun remember staring out of the window miserably for the next few days, for the bird did not come back to him… _

_It was only towards the end of the year that a curious looking pair of bluebirds landed on his windowsill, and started to build a nest there. Of course Athrun recognized the heart-shaped apron bird and its new mate, so he helped to feed them, give them twigs for their nest, he even added a heating pad to keep their eggs warm. And they and their chicks flew away come spring. It repeated year after year until one winter, all Athrun found outside his window was the frozen little body of the bluebird. _

_It was old and balding, but Athrun recognized it by its still-pretty apron. Lenore Zala told him it had come all the way back to say one last goodbye. _

_It was the end of Athrun's first pet, and after he buried it in the yard , he added a little special piece of pretty metal he treasured to mark it's tomb. _

_Then, his mother gazed at him and said, "Athrun…don't cry. Birdie loved you, that's why it kept coming back to you…"_

_He did not cry, he simply nodded, burrowing into his mother's arms._

"_Did you regret letting birdie go?"_

_He shook his head vigorously. He could sense his mother smile._

"_Athrun Zala, remember this lesson, someday you are going to be a good man. And a good man should treat his woman like he treated this bluebird. Like that…the woman will never cry."_

"_A woman…? Mother, I will never marry a girl! Yuck..." He made a face and declared resolutely._

_His mother laughed, apparently she was amused. "Never say never…"_

_I'm…not sure I understand…" He replied uncertainly. _

"_Then it shows that you're still a boy." She patted his head fondly, and pecked him on the cheek. _

"_Slowly, take your time to grow up, I'm sure you'll be a good man someday." _

_When he was left alone in the place, he shuffled over and sat down heavily in one of the chairs. He felt a little better to lay his head down for a bit, he wanted to sleep but he could not afford to let his guard down. Resultantly, he settled into a sort of a waking sleep, a timeless, trance-like state. His senses were still on the edge, waiting, watching, but his body had reached a state of rest…For some reason, he thought of his mother, and the little blue bird which served as the prototype that he based Tori on… _

A wave of sharp pain pulsated from the middle of his chest, and radiated to his shoulders and back. He doubled over, clutching his chest with a grimace. The pressure caused his chest to tighten, and the pain worsened to the point that made him want to scream. But he couldn't, he could not find the air to make a single sound.

His breathing was a wreck, and he swallowed grimly between gasping breathlessly. His head was spinning and he could feel perspiration dripping off his nose, he fought down panic, willing himself to remain calm.

It was so quiet that all that he could hear was the steady homing of the computers in contrast to his own strained breaths.

_I'm going to die..._

The thought came, clear as day, dark as night. But he could not find it in himself to pity nor to fight. To be honest, he was just too tired to. If he could, he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep. If he could, he would have chosen to escape into the land if eternal slumber, where there will be no pain...

_No, you have to wait._

He chided himself, and forced himself to open his eyes and sit upright as far as he could.

_He still had a job to do, a mission to accomplish, an objective to fulfill; a closure to make. He had to settled things between him and Leonidas once and for all. _

A little twinkle on his chest caught his attention, and he realized he had difficulty focusing his eyes and cannot see what was it.

_It was frightening, his sense of vision has always been effortlessly acute, but now it was so blurred that he can't even identify the object hanging from his neck._

His hands enclosed themselves gingerly around the wedding rings and the purple pendant. Though Athrun cannot see them, he was grateful for still being able to feel them, the metal was warm and comforting to the touch.

_How curious, they had somehow naughtily slipped out from their hiding place again when he needed them to. Her face came into his mind, and he smiled, even though tears slipped down his cheeks and landed on the smaller ring. It ran over the metallic surface and drained towards his palm._

"_Come on, Athrun Zala, you haven't sucked that bad, 25 years in this world…And you've met and married a woman, who's the one woman worth the chase. You have had an exciting, roller coaster-like career, an awesome best friend and a hot wife, there's nothing to regret about. You've had enough fun, it's time to give others a chance for once."_

He nodded once to himself weakly, feeling pathetic with being satisfied with an odd sense of bliss, and after that he tucked the ornaments back into his collar. He settled back, and time passed him by, ticking away his final moments. He wondered where Kira and Cagalli were now, whether Yzak was faring alright, whether Bethany was still alive. He had handed over the reins, for once, doing complete delegation in order to ensure that these people whom he cared about will survive; all of them if he could help it, as many as possible if he could not.

_If you would not be forgotten as soon as you're dead, you either do write something worth reading or do something worth writing..._

_And Athrun made a silent prayer that they will all survive, and hoped that this was merit worth writing about… _

"Don't move." Spencer Gladys suddenly appeared, and pointed his gun at Athrun.

He did not get up, there was no strength in his legs, and truth to be told he did not want to confront the boy, he did not want to harm him. This boy was a victim.

"Spencer…"

"You killed Emily…" Spencer whispered shakily, his hands trembling, and Athrun saw a shadow of himself in the boy. He shook his head wearily, "Emily…the name of the girl?" Athrun gestured at the Zaft red's body still lying at the bottom of the stairs. He also noticed a small door that Spencer had probably lasered through to get in and a piton belt hanging on the edge. He wondered where Yzak and the rest of the staff.

Spencer answered his silent question. "The main cannons of the 11th fleet are pointed at Aprilius, Yzak Jule had issued a mass evacuation order. This place is now a ghost town."

"Ah." Athrun understood, if it were true that detonating will mean destroying one PLANT, Aprilius one will definitely become the target. Then it did not matter how close the Crimson army was.

"Why did you kill her?" Spencer demanded brokenly.

"I didn't." Athrun said simply.

"Liar!" Spencer snapped, "You were lying to everyone! Everyone died because of you!"

Those accusations stung, for they carried a grain of truth. Athrun's selfishness had cost lives, it was his fault, at least a part of it.

"Maybe…but Spencer…you're alive…"

The boy gasped softly.

"Tad Elthman did not manage to destroy you…you survived."

"What do you care about that…?" He demanded brokenly, as if willing that he hadn't survived.

"You have a gun, use it! Fight me!" Spencer Gladys hollered at the top of his lungs.

Athrun shook his head, unprovoked. "I won't…"

"Why not?!" Spencer was losing control.

"Both your mothers…asked me to protect you..." He confessed whimsically, he remembered Talia Gladys's requests those years ago, and Murrue's just a fortnight ago. This boy is loved. Spencer looked stricken, and the weapon in hand started to shake, he was losing his resolve.

Suddenly, the door slipped open with a pneumatic hiss. "Hide." Athrun hissed.

Spencer obeyed instantly, trusting his instincts if nothing else.

Athrun looked up and pointed his gun at whoever it was, the man pointed back.

Leonidas Fitzbane began to laugh, "Athrun Zala, how nice to see you."

"Fitzbane..." He stood up slowly, never letting go of his gun. His appearance brought all the aggression back. This is the bastard who raped Cagalli, and all Athrun wanted to do was to shoot his balls off.

"Oh, you wouldn't." Leonidas said, as if reading his mind, and wagged his finger like an old school teacher, "I'm the father of Cagalli's baby. You said all you wanted was her happiness in the letter, didn't you?"

_Athrun flushed, angered and mortified that a document of a personal nature was hijacked. _

"You read it...?" He stuttered, inwardly cursing his ears that are probably glowing red hot.

"Of course..." Leonidas gloated, then paused, and seemed to do some quick thinking. "She laughed, and threw me the letter to share her mirth."

_Athrun did not want to believe what he said, but he felt an unexpected stab of pain that had nothing to do with his infected, failing heart. _

With that, Leonidas smiled, then withdrew the tiny envelope from his pocket. Athrun recognized it immediately, and the sight of it's battered appearance filled his heart with grief.

Leonidas casually twirled it around his fingers, and flicked it at Athrun. It hit him like an insult, and dropped onto the floor at his feet.

_He itched to retrieve it, but did not do so, he knew there was no point, the intended recipient ignored it already. The envelope sat on the floor, abandoned, with cursive letters that he had penned down so many seasons ago, declaring still, 'To Cagalli, the love of my life.'_

"What do you want?" He demanded abrasively instead, unwilling to continue the humiliation.

Leonidas Fitzbane was not as easy to throw off. "To see you die, of course. You can shed the facade, I know you're ill or something. For crying out loud, have you looked in the mirror recently?"

Athrun was unfazed, though by virtue of him being him, he had. He replied coldly, "Mind your own business."

"Uh Uh." He shook his head, "If you died first, I wouldn't be able to kill you." Athrun frowned, and wondered why.

"And you should want to kill me too." He added sinisterly.

The frown deepened, the other man did no wrong except to hurt Cagalli.

"What have you done to her?" He snarled.

"Uh oh, misunderstanding. It's not always about women, you know." He paused, then continued in a steely voice, "My father killed yours."

Athrun was confused.

_He remembered, Patrick Zala was found bleeding, fatal bullet wounds on his chest. Floating across the room was another man, Ray Yuki…a man who had mentored Athrun during his time in Zaft Academy_.

"During the battle of Jachin Due...My father killed Patrick Zala to protect my mother and I…who were in Orb."

Understanding dawned on Athrun, "...You're a Coordinator?"

"Half..." He replied. "Only my father was a Coordinator."

Athrun paused, then asked after a while, "...So?"

Leonidas blinked, his blue eyes widened. There was a comical, anti-climatic pause.

"Why should…I hate you?" Athrun questioned genuinely.

"!" Leonidas looked as if he had been slapped.

"I must admit that I didn't know…But given the circumstances then, if it wasn't Sir Yuki... someone else would have pulled the trigger. Furthermore...whatever our fathers did was their business, why should I hate you because of that...?" He asked.

Leonidas looked like he had suddenly turned to stone, his face was grayish and expressionless. He did not speak for a long time after that, and when he recovered his composure. He shouted at the top of his lungs at Athrun. "It's not possible! You should hate me!"

It was Athrun's turn to retaliate, "I don't doesn't mean I won't."

Leonidas looked happier, though it inched towards being deranged. "So you do hate me, right?"  
Disgusted, Athrun fired a shot at Leonidas, his bullet deliberately missing his crouch by mere centimeters. Then there was pounding on the door, he sealed it quickly with one bullet.

"You make me sick. You can go fantasize about the whole world hating you for all I care! The only reason why I'll hate you is if you ever make Cagalli cry!" He yelled, the stunned look on the other man's face made him even more irritated, throwing his empty gun aside he stomped forward and punched Leonidas squarely in the face, it felt good as his fist met its mark. Leonidas fell onto the floor, but he was not done. Athrun grabbed his collar roughly, the pounding outside got angrier and more incessant but he ignored it and focused on murdering Leonidas.

"Bastard! You have a lifetime with her. If I were you I'll stop living in the past and start thinking about how to make her the happiest woman in the world! You better make sure you massage her feet while she's expecting! Whatever flowers you give her, no roses, she hates those..."

_Athrun panted as he cut himself off at that point, he was surprised by his own outburst and he turned away, shamefaced as hot tears trailed down his cheeks. It was simply put- pathetic-to sound so jealous and broken in front of the man who stole his lover, but he had meant every word; he would have continued to do those things for her every single day of his life..._

"Back off..." Leonidas warned, finally getting his bearings as he pointed the gun at Athrun's forehead. Athrun got up slowly, feeling faint, the chest pains were coming back, but he fought to not show how much pain he was in.

"I...don't understand you..." Leonidas muttered in a uncharacteristically small voice, he was frowning so hard. "I'm the son of your father's murderer, yet you don't hate me. Cagalli...she betrayed you...and yet you..." He trailed off, seemingly unable to continue, he paused, then choked out. "...Still love her...Why!? It's not normal!"

Athrun gave a strangled laugh, and coughed a little. He had long since departed from normality and threw it out of the window with a slam-dunk. _It happened ever since he met that blonde Natural girl in that red tank top, liberally lifting her shirt to examine for crabs_...

"Dunno..." He whispered eventually.

"Maybe...hating someone is too tiring..."

The other man seemed to be glaring at him, he could not really make out his features by now.

"Leonidas..." His voice was surprisingly quiet.

Leonidas aimed the black revolver at Athrun's heart. Athrun doubted if he could run even if he wanted to. In fact, staying upright demanded all his effort. He had nowhere to run to, his heels were backed against the glass panels...He could not run, only stand and face his fate.

"Don't harm the innocent because of personal vendetta. Here I am, you can kill me…don't detonate."

"Hahaha..I can always do one thing at the time…" The other man gave a deranged laugh.

_Athrun froze, he had miscalculated. He had predicted Leonidas would leave the detonator in the hands of his officers who were mercifully more sane, and be happy with just killing him. It's a simple matter of who blows who first…he had hoped that the time he bought them would allow them to figure out how to disarm the bombs. _

Involuntarily, he cursed inwardly and gazed the corner where Spencer hid...the boy's eyes were glinting.

"Leonidas…please…no." He whispered.

Leonidas took out the detonator, and placed a threatening thumb on it. "And let me tell you, Cagalli did not give me the letter. I stole it from her..."

"Spencer!" He urged, they were not exactly comrades, but surely Spencer understood the gravity of the situation.

The boy shot out from his hiding place on cue, tackling Leonidas to the ground. A series of gunshots…

Then he was engulfed by white-hot agony.

_Someone shouting his name, his heart skipped a beat as he thought he heard her voice, then a backward plunge to nowhere..._

Ooo

It was not long before her guards caught up, cornering her. "Lady Athha?" Someone called, she almost jumped out of her skin as she pointed her gun at whoever it was.

Kisaka raised his hands high. "Don't shoot."

"Kisaka..." She was on the verge of panicking, he looked livid, and warned. "Don't run off like that in Zaft's territory. We'll help you find him..." He added in a softer tone.

"Thank you..." She stuttered gratefully, and noticed that Kira was no longer there, then a gunshot not far down the hall attracted their attention, Cagalli ran there, pounding on the door. "Athrun?!"

One more gunshot sealed the lock, she cursed. She pressed her ear against the door, searching for clues as to the identity of the person inside.

Kisaka pounded on the door, trying to see if it will hold. Then she heard a voice, his voice, he was shouting at someone else. And what he said melted her heart twice over...

_Bastard! You have a lifetime with her. If I were you I'll stop living in the past and start thinking about how to make her the happiest woman in the world! You better make sure you massage her feet while she's expecting! Whatever flowers you give her, no roses, she hates those..._

"Athrun..." She cried, "Athrun...! Kisaka, gimme something to open this!"

He pressed a little black button looking object against the door locking mechanism, "Small explosion, about forty centimeters diameter. Duck." He added, dragging Cagalli further away. The door blew, and Cagalli ran in as a final gunshot sounded.

It was like watching a movie in slow motion. She saw Leonidas first, with a gun in hand, detonator in the other, and she looked at where the gun was pointed at, her eyes widened as she saw him.

Then someone pounced on and straddled Leonidas, there was red, and the bullet seemed to have cut through Athrun, for the glass behind him shattered, and then he tipped over and fell headfirst.

She screamed as she ran forward, wanting to leap through the shattered glass after him, but hands caught her waist forcibly as she gained the edge of the control panels.

"No Cagalli, he's okay!" Kisaka shouted, restraining her, she struggled. She knew Kisaka was lying, it was a three-storey drop.

There was noise behind her, and she turned to see the Spencer Gladys subduing Leonidas and pinning him to the ground, all the while he was laughing hysterically. "I killed him! I finally killed him." Spencer Gladys pointed a gun at the back of his head, "Shut up." He cried helplessly.

He knew it was too late, the detonator's button had been pressed.

She waited, heart in mouth…four seconds, five, nothing violent happened, no ground disappeared beneath her. Leonidas seemed to realize it too, and he began to scream like a headless chicken, "WHY?! BURN! Everything burn!"

"Shut up!" Spencer Gladys knocked him out.

"Let go of me…!" She thrashed, frightened, trying to get over the edge.

"Listen!" Kisaka told her, and forced her to look him in the eye. "Kira has him, he's fine. Look."

She looked down, and Kisaka was right. There were about seven of them, she recognized Kira, Mark, and two others. Athrun was seemingly unconscious, and lay bleeding and inert as Mark Jocose lowered him onto the ground.

_Her heart wrenched as she realized that there was blood sprouting from somewhere on his chest. _

"Athrun!? Is he alright?" She shouted as Kira gave him a brief examination. "Wait..." Cagalli watched as Kira checked his vitals.

"Cagalli!" Kira shouted up, "He's alright. He's still breathing."

She released the breath she cannot remember holding.

"Athrun…hang on…How do I get down?" She shouted, gazing at the terrain.

"There is another way, let's meet at the central meeting room, we are going to hole there and wait for the police." Kira said decidedly as they stemmed the bleeding from Athrun's wounds and bounded it up. The Mark Jocose lifted him off the ground.

Cagalli did not understand, but they sounded like reinforcements of sorts. "Okay."

When they were gone, she noticed the little letter lying forlorn on the edge of the floor.

_To Cagalli, the love of my life…_

She dove over and picked it up, holding it to her heart.

Ooo

It has ended.

Yzak Jule was thankful to be alive after the mess, the evacuation order had been voided due to a certain brilliance on the part of Lunamaria and Bethany. They had somehow managed to disarm the bombs, PLANTs was saved.

He led the men who was with him through the series of corridors, and finally found the first group whom he had separated from. They had holed themselves up in the meeting room, where the ominous crystal chandelier hung overhead, giving out a faint glow. Honestly he had always found the crystal quite ugly…

"Don't shoot, it's us!" He raised his hands as he entered the room first, facing Mark's gun barrel.

"Councilor." The officer greeted as he lowered the weapon and gestured for Yzak to approach. The men marched in and closed the door.

"Who are we waiting for now?"

"The police high commissioner. He contacted me, he says that if we surrender, he can guarantee the safety of every single man..." Mark explained, a slight confused frown on his face.

"This is called legitimate handover..." Yzak muttered thoughtfully, it was a smart move. The police will look good and the casualties will be minimal.

"Where's Zala?" Yzak asked, he had things to report.

Mark paused and frowned harder, this time he looked a little sad, it was bad news. Hesitantly, he indicated behind him, Yzak followed his gaze to find Athrun lying on the floor, a folded up red's coat as his pillow.

A breath got caught in his throat.

As Yzak got a little closer, he realized that Athrun was unnaturally still, there was hardly any distinctive rise and fall of the chest, where dried blood caked over a makeshift bandage. His breathing was painfully strained and raspy. He was pale almost to the point of his skin being translucent and his lips carried an unhealthy purple tinge.

Yzak knelt down heavily beside Athrun, his legs had suddenly turned to jelly. Gingerly, he placed two fingers on his wrist and read his pulse.

_Athrun's pulse was thready and weak, meaning his heart was about to give out. He was still alive, but barely._

"Za...Zala...!" He called, a little louder than necessary, and touched Athrun's shoulder when there was simply no response. He resisted the urge to shake him, "What happened...?!"

Kira came, and gently drove Yzak's hand off. "Don't touch him..."

"What?...Why?"

He took up the explanation, "He was shot at point blank range, and even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest, the bullet went through...

"Yzak shook his head, quite unwilling to believe that his arch rival was in such a terrible state.

"We have to get help...!"

"From where?! We are lucky this room isn't filled with people trying to kill us. We shouldn't move him..." Kira said through gritted teeth, "We must wait...And even if he gets treated..."

"What do you mean?" Yzak questioned.

"...The plague..." Kira whispered, and Yzak widened his eyes in dread.

Miraculously, Athrun stirred, and gradually opened his eyes, gazing around until he found Yzak. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, as if he forgot the words. He seemed to think for a bit, and the look in his eyes were frighteningly empty so unlike his usual self. Instantly Yzak knew, they were going to lose him...

Suddenly Athrun coughed harshly, and Yzak saw blood on his teeth. But when he caught his hand, his grip was surprisingly strong, "Cagalli...!" He rasped. "Did Leonidas hurt her...?"

Yzak shook his head, he really did not know.

"She's fine." Kira answered curtly, Yzak could not tell whether he was lying to placate Athrun. "Hang on, she's coming to find you..."

Athrun bit his lip, unmistakable joy on his face, then nodded weakly. And Yzak wriggled his hand out of the loosened grip, Athrun's hands were so cold, and he said through gritted teeth. "You should..."  
"...Zaft?! The other guys? Are they okay?" He questioned, and clutched his chest in obvious pain.

"They are fine." Yzak assured, it had taken all the command in him to prevent the 11th fleet and the Crimson army from annihilating the EAF forces. "The Zaft army and the Crimson army forged a temporary alliance, the moment they detonated... Lunamaria had gotten the bombs wrapped up by dense organic material."

"Organic material…" Kira muttered, "You mean like, thick sheets of plastic or something…?"

"No…they used the clones." Yzak confessed darkly. A look of horror was reflected in the other two men's face, he did not like it either, they were just innocent kids but they are used as a human barrier around the bombs. Most of the stealthium ships suffered minimum damage as a result when the bombs blew, but the end does not justify the means.

"It could not be helped, then, it was that or draw lots to see who dies…"

"You should rest..." Kira touched Athrun shoulder. "What is done is done."

Yzak simply nodded, he did not have Kira's kind of patience.

"But…" Athrun protested feebly.

"Enough!" Yzak finally shouted, his infamous temper flaring, the other men turned in his direction, but he did not care. Athrun seemed to shrink a little in intimidation. "Cagalli is fine, the soldiers are fine! Everyone is fine except you! Stop treating yourself like some thousand-legged-worm! If you really trust us, then prove it! Prove that we are worth your trust!"

He said all that in one breath, and Athrun merely stared at him with widened eyes as he panted. It was then he realized that tears were brimming in his own eyes. He wiped his face roughly and continued his tirade in a softer tone.

"I made a promise... and I keep my promises…! You've done your best, leave the rest to us. Just rest…" In an attempt to make it sound more of a request and less of a command, he bit his lip and muttered.

"...Please."

Tears made their way down the sides of Athrun's face as he nodded lethargically. Obediently, he laid his head back down and closed his eyes, catching his breath.

After a few moments, he turned to gaze at Kira, then him.

He gave a smile of gratitude that caused Yzak to feel pain he never thought he could feel.

"Thank you..." He whispered to the two of them. Kira sobbed openly, and bit his lip, an expression of utter anguish on his face. Somehow, he managed to smile back bravely, man to man, brother to brother.

"You're welcome." He said quietly.

Yzak was nearly oblivious to his surroundings, and merely nodded numbly, unaware of the hot tears trailing freely down his cheeks. If Athrun had said 'Sorry', Yzak would have punched the living daylights out of him.

_What could he say? What more can he offer to his dying friend? _

_He was tongue-tied for a while, not knowing what to do. He only knew that he wanted Athrun's suffering to end, he had been fighting for far too long. It was almost too terrible to bear to watch his once strong friend struggle just to breathe. Terrible that now he lay bleeding; dying on the floor..._

_Fortunately, Athrun did not require a reply. His eyes glazed over, he seemed to fall asleep and remained utterly still after that.  
_  
"Athrun…?" Kira asked.

When it was quiet, Yzak realized that alot of people around him were crying. And strangely, an overwhelming sense of sadness and unease washed over him. It were as if a mighty dam which had protected their world came crashing down, and the weight of the world finally came upon their shoulders...

At the far end, a young soldier raised an arm in a final salute. Slowly and gradually, the other soldiers followed suit. Soon, the entire room had done the same, and Yzak was the last.

He raised his arm shakily, saluting and mourning for the one brave soldier whom he acknowledged as an equal.

"To Athrun Zala…" He whispered with finality.

"To Athrun Zala." The soldiers echoed.

Ooo

Cagalli felt as if the ground had molten right beneath her feet as she beheld the sight in front of her. The men dropped their salutes as she walked in, her footsteps echoed around the seemingly empty space. Instinctively, she knew where he was, the men gravitated towards a focal point, just as plants turn towards the sun.

When she saw their faces, she knew she was too late.

Yzak and Kira stood up slowly as she approached, giving her room, and she gasped inwardly when she saw how still he laid.

_The letter fell involuntarily from her slackened hand and floated to the ground, where it landed to stare at her accusingly. _

_It was as if time had slowed to a crawl, then stopped altogether. _

She felt...nothing, she could not feel, nor think as she knelt down beside him numbly, and her fingers gingerly brushed his face, tracing along the contour of his cheeks. His pale skin was cool and he looked like a sleeping prince; his long, dark lashes stirred as she called his name. But he did not respond, it broke Cagalli's heart because she knew he can never...

_He will never open his eyes at her touch and smile at her and kiss her hand. Nor will he ever mumble sleepily that it's her turn to change the kid's diapers...  
_  
He remained utterly cold and still, spurning and rejecting her every effort to woo him to come alive. He did not make a sound as she shook him desperately and clung to him and wept.

She felt so detached from her surroundings, like she was a ghost possessing the body of this woman who just lost her lover. No matter how she mourned and grieved, the crater in her heart could not be filled. It only widened and thirst like a bottomless pit, demanding for more as it drank in her sorrow. How she wished she can indeed flee into the air like a spirit, and perhaps then she will find him again.

Her last remnant of him was his letter that was lost, but now have found it's way back to her. It declared eternally in his beautiful, cursive penmanship.

_Dear Cagalli, I do not know if you will ever find this letter, I do not know when you will you ever do. But when you do, it will mean that I am already gone. _

She cried, Kira took her shoulders gently, holding her, "Cagalli..."

_In many ways, I may not have been a good husband. For one, I cannot find it in myself to be happy about the new baby. I have thought about it for a long time, about the children, about us. And I remembered that someone told me a long time ago, that a good man will never make his woman cry. _

_I have resolved to be a good man, so please don't cry.  
_  
She wept piteously, her tears dripping onto his cheek and draining down the side of his face. "Idiot...!" She chided no one, even though she knew he cannot hear.

_I want you to be happy, enjoy life with the man you chose. The only thing I ask of you is to take care of the children while they still need you. They will not have a father to watch them grow, please don't leave them without a mother as well.  
_  
"...You moron!" She whimpered, then she gathered him in her arms and cradled his head in the nook of her elbow. Tenderly, she touched his cheek; gazing longingly at his sleeping face though her vision was marred by her own tears. She took his hand, and slowly drew it to her face, pressing his palm against her cheek. Like that, she could pretend that he was alive.

"Athrun...Don't you understand?" She asked shakily.

_For better or for worse  
For richer or poorer  
In sickness and in health_

"...You have always been the only one in my heart...Just you, Athrun." She declared in a whisper, then shook her head in despair, "Wake up..." She sobbed, her tears flowing freely, "...Please...com'on...Wake up…"

_Till death do us part._

He had fufilled his end of the bargain.

Her hold around him tightened, as if by holding him she could prevent him from leaving her. She did not even get to say goodbye to this brave, brave man who loved her to the point of death. Who sheltered her and cared and provided for her and their two children. She owed him a debt that can never be repaid...

_And now he is gone..._

So for the last time, Cagalli hugged her sleeping prince close to herself where he could share her heartbeat. Slowly, she cupped his cheek, her fingers lingering on his temple, and kissed him.

A miracle did happen, because she believed.

Oooooo

Author's lamentations: This is the second last chapter, because there will come a time when they will be reunited at last. A thousand, million gazillion thanks to all who stood by and followed this story even though Gundam Seed and destiny has finished airing for so long!

I am quite emotional writing this story, knowing full and well that this story I have been working on for the last few years is ending. I dream it in my sleep, jot down inspirations in my handphone whenever it hits me, some sections are written fully in IPhone format. Lolz, I am glad!

Please R&R.

Miracles happen when one believe.

Yours

Ming


	29. Chapter 29: The road to reunion

Chapter 29: The road to reunion

_He was an eternal, ectoplasmic creature that transcended the laws of logic. The passion was rising in him, glorious and hungry; the more he drew on that power, the more there was for him to claim, it got increasingly desperate to be unleashed. It was a song more ageless than the stars, dating from the moment of their birth. Water turned incandescent at his touch, the ground at his feet fused instantly to glass, as if seared by the very breath of the sun itself._

_So strong an instant ago, he shattered with the impact of death, crush and broken, stripped of anything that might resemble the man he had been once. Yet…he went on from there. Even as his perception of the beings around him splintered, and he found himself cast adrift-yet remain a part of things that had happened. Experiencing the totality of thought and emotion with an intensity that was raw to his senses; yet oddly exhilarating. _

_From the people around- thoughts drifted around him- his touch brought forth sensations of grief, fury, confusion and irredeemable loss. Some were as loose from their mooring as he was now, nothing but a spirit. He skimmed the residual essence of the slain, scattered throughout the vast space that stretched out above and below him indefinitely. The number alone was horrifying and he shied away from those lingering strands of contact._

_He willed himself away, and suddenly the earth was beneath his feet, the PLANTs over his head. He skipped over the surface of the water, his bare foot causing nothing but ripples to sweep across the plane of the iridescent liquid; never breaking the smooth, silk-like surface. _

_He lifted off, and found himself flying across the face of forever, on wings so wide that they reach from beginning to the end of all. Worlds, whole dimensions screamed violently to an end, while other slipped silently into being. And suddenly he understood, that life was always a cycle. The story of every individual, no matter how inconsequential, forms a thread in the tapestry and being preserved by the arms of eternity. _

_And he knew, it will be his turn to join the cycle. _

_Soon, but not yet. _

Athrun opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt better than he had done in a long, long time. In fact, much better. His body was whole and well-rested, he felt like he had been reborn.

He sat up in bewilderment for a few minutes, unable to believe that he woken up, he patted himself down, trying to convince himself that he was flesh and blood once again.

He undid the buttons on his tunic and looked down gingerly, and gasped softly as he found a fully-healed gunshot wound there, he fingered the raised ridges and was surprised that there was no pain, not at all. Something rattled to his left, and he knew he was not dead just by the fact that his wrist was cuffed to the bedposts...

_But it was impossible. He remembered the excruciating pain that racked his body as he laid dying, the cardiac infection, the bullet that punched through the vest and slammed into his lungs. He remembered Kira, he remembered being amazed and honored that Yzak would shed tears for him. And the worst part was that he was not able to meet Cagalli one last time…_

_No matter how hard he fought to stay awake, blood loss and shock claimed him. Then he remembered all sounds ceased, including his own heartbeat..._

_I shouldn't be, but I'm alive..._

He scanned the room, looking for hints, he was in a medical facility of sorts, and the clock showed 8.15am, three days from when he fallen asleep.

_Where are they? _

Life gave him a miracle, but did not show him mercy.

He is as good as a dead man. The military trial was ongoing, and he had been placed under custody ever since he had been found alive, and he recalled the dream he had, wondering if that was real. He did try to gather clues by listening to the medical staff gossip, something about 'phase two' and 'phoenix phenotype'. It made no sense whatsoever, but they seemed to be talking about him, because they would give him curious looks whenever he passed by, as if he had sprouted an extra head. But they avoided contact with him unless for instructional purposes, and overall, he felt like he was invisible. No one would talk to him, no one would offer information about the outside world...He was locked up and impossibly alone.

Soon, his frustrations did not matter anymore, it was clear that he had been dealt the harshest possible lot. It was worse than death, and soon, his hopes of ever seeing the people who mattered to him were lost. He had been completely and mercilessly isolated, even when he was brought for hearings, he did not get a chance to talk, there were so many people talking at the same time, the facts had been twisted and warped for the media's sake apparently. He would look around helplessly, looking for people he knew, witnesses, anything; but each time he was disappointed. They apparently scheduled hearings usually involving only him, and once or twice he saw Yzak and Steven, but they avoided eye contact and ignored him. He had been condemned to crime, to intense isolation, to death…

_Only Steven quietly told him Violet had wanted to come, but she had been infected as well. _

Eventually, it became obvious that his words added no value or consequences to the trial; he stopped offering words because no one wanted to listen. He just nodded when people pointed fingers at him and accused him of something; whatever it may be. At some point the judge added one more crime of falsifying information; he nodded to that placatingly as well.

He was then transferred to a proper prison, and the prison head utterly loathed him. And he got the distinct feeling that that man will kill him once the opportunity arose, the impression was drilled deep since day one when he was brought to his cell...

The cells he passed by had basic amenities like a bed, a stool, a toilet and wash basin. But his was barren, it had no furniture to speak of, only a foul-smelling toilet bowl that was detectable from three stalls away. He did not complain even when the wardens shoved him in and locked the door, when he shook as much dust as he could off his face. He picked himself up and curled up at the furthest possible corner from the smelly toilet.

He then kept himself entertained by people watching, he realized that the other prisoners were murderers, pimps, slavers, drug traffickers and madmen, most of them made it to the news before. But all their arms where uncuffed the moment they were in their cells, his hands are still immobilized behind his back.

At lunchtime, a tray will be slotted through a hole in the door. But when it came to his turn. The prison head took the tray from his subordinate and gazed at Athrun, "Are you Athrun Zala?"

He nodded.

"Would you like me to take off your cuffs?"

He nodded again, and saw that the people around turned towards him in anticipation as if something exciting was about to happen. Athrun began to wonder if he had said something uncustomary.

The man smiled, gesturing at his men to unlock the door, Athrun stood up as he came in, turning around for him to gain access.

A foot on his back caught him by surprise, and he could not even brace his fall. The place resonated with laughter as he fell harshly to the floor. Athrun thought it was pathetic, but it seemed as though it was all the entertainment they had.

But that man was not done, he stepped on Athrun's neck, hard.

"Listen carefully, buster! Here, you have no name. Here, you are just number 341157. Here, you obey my rules, you got it?"

Out of sheer defiance, Athrun ignored his tirade, and the man ground down on his throat, threatening to break his jaw. "Answer me!" He demanded.

Athrun only turned as much as he could to glare coldly at him. And the man backed off, as if hit. Athrun thought, _Ah, a coward_.

The man recovered after a while and told him smugly. "This is my territory, I'll break you sooner or later, cur. For now, I will take your cuffs off when I feel like it." He patted Athrun's face much to the amusement of the prisoners.

Athrun got up as the man walked outside, and suddenly he seemed to realize that there was a food tray in his hands.

"Oh, and this, is for you to practice proper behavior." He unceremoniously dumped the food on the floor. "You're hungry, aren't you? I can tell, eat it." He commandeered.

Chants of 'Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat' became louder and louder, Athrun's face was burning with humiliation, but he withdrew to the corner, choosing to ignore the taunts.

"He'll eat when he's hungry enough." The man said in mockery, "That's what dogs do." The place howled with laughter, then he locked the door and left.

Athrun's next few meals followed the same demise, and by the second night he could not sleep. His arms are still clamped behind his back, cramped up and painful. It was inconvenient and painful as it ensured that he could only sleep on his side. He was also positively famished, and could feel his intestines churn with acid and dissatisfaction. He was starting to feel weak and giddy from the lack of nourishment, but his pride prevented him from touching the ever-growing pile of food on the ground, he wanted to believe that he kept his dignity at least-if nothing else. The price he paid was an empty stomach and that his lips had cracked and bled from dryness.

To occupy himself, he played catch-the-moonlight with his toes for a while, before he caught himself with a weak laugh.

_He began to wonder how long he is going to last, how long it will take for him to go mad from boredom? Or to die from malnutrition or abuse? _

_It did not matter which, only he wished it will be faster, and less hungry. _

_He had nothing left. _

He had not managed to talk to anyone, and so far no one has come looking for him. He wondered if they had forgotten completely about his existence, and even if they were, he will never be able to see them, he was a condemned criminal. He deserved nothing, he had been stripped of his all, his friends, his kids, his pride...

_His lover..._

_Cagalli..._

He swallowed as hot tears welled up in his eyes, and he blinked them away, they streaked down the side of his face.

_He had no right to cry, he had brought all these upon himself, he had chosen to fall..._

As if telling him things could have been worst, the door creaked as it swung open, and he got up a little as two wardens came in, "Boss wants to see you."

"...Then tell him to come." He retorted lazily, lying back down.

They obviously used brute force to drag him there anyway, he guessed they were going to beat him up for sport.

_His guess was not wrong._

Ooo

Cagalli was positively pissed off. Orb had brought an all-Natural crew, doctors, nurses, pharmacists who specialize in oncology and medications on their cargo ships, all according to Athrun's plea on his letter. Not only they knew what they were doing, they are also naturally unaffected by the virus, they were the ideal staff. PLANTs received the gift with open arms, but whisked Athrun away from her the moment they realized he was still alive. The government regrouped after both Chairmen were accused of treason. From the point she handed over those documents, they maintained a closed-circuit information system, Cagalli was not allowed to know where Athrun was, how he was doing. She could only base her assumptions on the status quo, which is somewhere in prison.

Cagalli knew Athrun well enough. He would not speak unless people wanted to hear. She was not allowed to attend the hearings as this was Zaft's domestic business, but video recordings showed Athrun increasingly quiet and he maintained complete silence and dignity in the last few. Fortunately he looked hale and hearty enough, his eyes were sharp and intelligent, which set her heart at ease.

_The plague had not taken him from her, and she vowed that neither will these people._ She dug deep into the case, and realized that those whose testimony would be in favor of them releasing Athrun, like Mark and Shinn and the police High commissioner, were not allowed to testify at all…neither did they volunteer to testify against the odds.

_It was rigged to condemn him from the start…_

She hated that the media would refer to her as a 'close acquaintances' or 'friends', highlighting and mocking her inability to get involved. So she did the only thing she could despite Kisaka's most fervent protests.

"I came with aid, not just because we want to help our fellowmen, but because Athrun asked me to..." She declared at a press conference.

"Why did you trust him and abide by the request then?" One reporter raised his hand and questioned.

"I trust him, that's all there is to it. Well, the truth is..."

She took a deep breath for effect.

"...We are married."

And she proceeded to fax her marriage certificate to every known publisher and tabloid. It caused uproar, and soon she was under scrutiny for being involved in the trial. Soon, ugly remarks and hate mail started pouring into her temporary home in PLANTs, which was Athrun's place, of course she had the keys, the caretaker, an old gentleman named Wayne, had hugged her and Kira and Lacus upon arrival. Shinn and Luna came to the doorstep just to cheer her, they were emitting so much hope and happiness that Cagalli almost wished they never came.

The eventuality was that Cagalli brushed the comments off and made preparations to go in and rescue her husband.

Still, she could not find him, it were as if his whereabouts have been deliberately concealed…

ooo

Dr Giorados was on a mission the first thing in the morning, and his heart leapt in anticipation as he walked closer and closer to the subject's cell, Albert followed closely behind. Giorados could sense his excitement as well.

His nose wrinkled at the smells coming from the stalls, but he ignored them and brushed invisible dust off his immaculate white coat. He is 42 this year, and had never failed in his life, he went through the best education and married the number 1 women. _Marrying a Natural is adding unnecessary fudge into an otherwise perfect genepool. So what's wrong with match-made marriage? Love is merely another branch of science to be harnessed_.

The head warden in front of him stopped, and he stopped as well, peering into the cell. He observed three things immediately.

_One, all cells were furnished except for this one, where the subject lay on the ground. Two, everyone else was free, he alone was bound, food littered the ground. Third, he appeared unconscious whereas others were asleep. _

And Giorados looked at the head warden and smiled at his own geniousity, but frowned at the revelation.

_He had wanted the subject in optimal health condition, if it were to be used._

"Hey, 341157." The man commanded, Dr Giorodas flinched involuntarily as he kicked Athrun's stomach and splashed a cupful of water at his face.

Athrun grimaced and blinked bearily, but did not make a sound.

"Get up, you have a visitor." The man growled.

Athrun made no response, only laid back down as if he was too lazy to care, Giorados noticed that Athrun's shoulder joint was stuck out at a weird position and he narrowed his eyes as the man made to kicked Athrun again. But Albert stepped forward, shielding Athrun. "Don't, I need to know."

Albert quickly pricked Athrun's finger and squeezed one drop of blood onto the test kit.

Dr Giorados realized that he was holding his breath as well, and he willed with all his heart that the test kit will turn blue, meaning it was positive.

_He is the only hope. _

Ten seconds elaspsed, but it felt like an eternity.

_The reagent turned from colourless to a beautiful cerulean, it fanned out as a purple to blue gradient on the test kit._

Albert's smile was enough to summon sunshine and butterflies. "He carries the X21 antibody...!" He told Giorados, who nodded.

Albert next called to Athrun, taking his shoulders, "Athrun...Come on."

Athrun hissed in pain, and Albert unhanded him. "Sorry..." He muttered.

"Albert?" Athrun Zala was awake, and turned a little. "Why are you here?" This is the first time he spoke, Giorados's frown deepened. He sounded weak, they had probably smashed him up as well, _barbaric._

"Hey. To save you, sort of...But you are gonna save alot of people!" Albert replied sincerely. Which made Athrun blink a few times before he questioned. "Huh?" in a clueless fashion. _But good, he is at least lucid. His intellect is undamaged_.

"His shoulder joint is dislocated." Dr Giorados pointed out. "And only after three days..." He turned to the warden, "You have been most helpful to have the subject injured and unfed, please note that this man is now under the custody of PLANTs medical center. We will take charge from here. Albert, Mr Zala, let's go. This place stinks."

"What? I don't take orders from a...!" The warden protested.

"From a what?" Giorados challenged as he casually showed off his Faith badge.

The man paled, Giorados grinned gleefully. "Please also note that you will receive a letter from the attorney for charges of intentional damage and personal assault against government property. And you might want to spice up this cell, it will become yours. I'll make sure it does."

"What the hell are you talking about?! There is no goddamn government property to damage here...!"

"Him." Giorados pointed casually at Athrun, as if it were the obvious.

All three people gazed at his finger as if it were magic, only Albert had the guts to nod fervently.

Ooo

"Here, eat something. If possible, I prefer more to less." Giorados said once they were inside the transport. He took out a few bars of chocolate and mineral water from the chiller and pressed them into Athrun's usable hand.

Athrun took one of the dark chocolate bars and bit off one mouthful, swallowing before stating, "You're Dr Giorados Winhill, the head researcher at PLANTs Medical..."

Dr Giorados smiled, _of course Athrun Zala remembers him, his research is the finest._

"Greetings, and you shall have the privilege to call me G from now." He took Athrun's arm as he ate the chocolate uncaringly. There were angry red gashes that ringed his arms and has started to swell, telling of his frustrations and exactly how longed he had been locked up. He disinfected those wounds swiftly, just in case.

"Please take off your shirt, I would like to assess your injuries and fix this arm." G requested.

"I'm alright..." Athrun replied immediately.

He retorted in a dead-panned voice "You left arm has popped out of its socket. It's not alright, you are undernourished and dehydrated, and I suspect you have a couple of broken ribs as well."

But Athrun would not let him touch him, and challenged. "So?"

"So...?" G asked, unable to guess what Athrun was really asking.

"What do you want from me?" He demanded.

"I want nothing from you…"

"Then why are you helping me? What business it is of yours if I lived or died? And what's with this...antibody?"

G sighed, "You are here, because the state needs those antibodies..."

"?" Athrun merely gazed at him, his eyes questioning.

"The plague, the X21, you carried the virus, you fell ill, but you lived while others died."

Athrun nodded slowly, comprehension in his eyes. "I...these antibodies can save those who are sick...?"

G nodded. Athrun widened his green eyes, looking earnestly at G. His hand landed on his own chest in a manner so sincere that G was touched for a moment.

G went on calculatively, presenting the deal. "In return for letting us extract these antibodies, you will be absolved of all charges. And perhaps, finally granted a visit to Lady Yula Athha."

Athrun's mouth hung slightly opened at that, and the joy and hope in his eyes so evident that he looked like a different person from the one lying on the ground, beaten up those hours ago.

"You mean...I'll get to see...see Cagalli again?" He stammered, his voice was shaking uncharacteristically.

"Not just see her." G added. "Talk to her, marry her and have it acknowledged under PLANTs marital laws..."

A gleam of tears was visible in Athrun's eyes, and G knew he had hit the spot. Athrun did not speak for a full minute, then bit his lip, his expression sad but hopeful at the same time.

Suddenly, he gazed into G's eyes. "I'll do it."

G was surprised, "I haven't even tell you the terms yet."

"You don't have to." Athrun said with confidence, then added softly. "...If I can help to find a cure, bring an end to the plague, you can take me apart for all I care. Just...I...want to see Cagalli."

"At the end of it all." He promised.

"How long will it take?" Athrun asked, a little impatiently.

"I am obliged to explain the process because of the risks involved." He raised a hand to stop Athrun who looked like he wanted to interrupt. "Please listen carefully, because by choosing to participate you are essentially signing an indemnity that temporarily voids your human rights."

Athrun looked pensive, "I don't have rights...". G was utterly surprised, and somehow felt he ought to see some fear and consideration in his subject.

"Have you heard of symbiosis?"

"Symbiosis, for two organisms to live together in mutual support."

G was a little miffed that Athrun had taken those words right out of his mouth, and was determined to ask him something he cannot answer. "What is a mitochondria?"

"An entity in the cell that produces energy in the form of ATP. Theory proposes that it was a parasite, but had achieved a symbiotic relationship with ma..."

"Mamalian cells, yes." G cut him off irritably. Athrun frowned slightly, then looked at him, "Can you help fix my arm?"

"With pleasure." G replied as he stepped to Athrun's side and removed his shirt. He was right, Athrun's torso was an utter mess of blacks and blues. G took his arm and shoulder joint, kneading it a few times, "Does this hurt?"

Athrun was clenching his teeth, but replied, "Not too much..."

"Alright, listen, that's what happened to you, the virus reached symbiosis with your cells. Because of that, your cells!" With that he found purchase and snapped the bone right back into the socket, Athrun did not even have the time to scream. He just curled up and nursed his shoulder as G started immobilizing the joint with bandages.

"...Your cells now regenerate at more than twice the speed of normal Coordinators, you'll recover soon. That's why you did not die, your cardiac tissue, which had necrosized because of pericarditis were regenerated almost instantaneously. The bullet was snagged beneath your collarbone, all it took was for someone to dig it out and your body's healing mechanism kicked in. The mysterious man who wrote to the Supreme Council called it, 'Phoenix Hyperion'."

Athrun considered, seemingly having an idea who this mysterious person is, he went on, "The second thing that happened was that you were conferred natural immunity. Those viral particles in your cells have fused their genetic material with yours. Infected persons have cells that expresses an antigen on their cell membranes, yours don't. Instead, your body has begun to produce an antibody that binds to these cells that go awry and make them easy targets for the macrophages."

"Alright..." He muttered, not fully comprehending the science. "What do you need?"

"Your blood and your bone marrow…" G reported, and Athrun stiffened.

"The collection will be done in two phases, first we will withdraw 1.5 to 2 liters of blood divided in 50ml aliquots, depending on how much you can withstand…" He added slyly. "These will be sent out to various locations for research, they will purify and extract the antibodies for those patients who needs treatment urgently. Inducing a state of anemia, coupled with stimulatory medications, will force the bone marrow to go into overdrive, we will collect stem cells about 7-10 days from there, generally from multiple sites on the femur and pelvis, understood?"

"What's the catch?" Athrun questioned.

"It's an unheard-of-protocol, it borders on the inhumane."

"Inhumane?" Athrun asked, a little paler now.

"The medications involved are quite...potent. They work fast, but they are also known to cause bone pain rated like, 8 or 9 over 10. And once you start, you cannot stop no matter what until dose escalation is complete, the effects take time to build."

"I can take pain..." Athrun whispered softly, looking down, and for some reason, G felt a gush of pity, but in that instant he also believed Athrun could.

"It will leave anyone in a near-crippled state. There is also a 35% all-cause mortality rate…"

"You said this protocol has never been utilized, how then is this number derived?"

"Expert opinion." Athrun raised an eyebrow as G declared proudly, "Aka my opinion."

Athrun did not laugh at the joke, he looked thoughtful for a moment or two, then said with finality. "Okay."

G widened his eyes, and stammered incredulously, "Okay...as in you are gonna do it? You don't even need time to consider?"

"But under three conditions." Athrun added.

"Ah, for a moment there I was starting to think you are not human. State your price."

"One, I want priority to be given to Dearka and Violet...Dearka Elthman and Amamiya Murasaki...They are my friends..."

G noted that down on his hand-held, "And...I don't think anyone informed you. But the general of Orb, Sir Yamato has come down with the infection as well. Would you like me to add him to the list? "

Athrun paled visibly at that, and his emotionless face turned sad. He was so shocked he could hardly speak.

"Kira...Kira too...?!" Then he quickly recovered his composure, gazing into G's eyes. "Please...Please do!"

"Alright...two?"

"If possible, don't tell anybody...Don't let the public and the media know."

"You want to do all the work and take no credit?" G was surprised, he had never seen anyone like that.

Athrun merely shook his head, "Those ill shouldn't live with knowing that the source of the cure was procured by such a process..." Athrun was quiet for a moment, he sighed as he realized G was still studying him.

"I...don't want to let Kira know, he will call me an idiot..." He whispered reluctantly.

"... All that has been said and done. On paper you are still in prison and on the way to the gallows..."

"Good, three..." He sighed, and implored softly, "Are you sure...I can't meet Cagalli first...?"

"Not now." G replied after consideration.

_The fact is, Athrun could, at this point if Athrun refused to sign the indemnity until he gets his way, there is nothing anyone could do, he hold all the cards. Hence G had to convince him that he cannot, G is anxious that he might end up in someone else's hands._

"Not while the trials are at this stage... And it's not as if you're definitely going to die. You'll get to see her...my job is to make sure you survive." He patted Athrun on the uninjured shoulder just for effect.

Athrun gazed at him for a little while, then suddenly, gave a small, sad smile.

"Thank you." He whispered sincerely. That caught G completely off guard.

_I'm only here to make use of you..._

"I would think that you have a lot of underlings to embark on this research, you need not come here yourself, thank you for that."

_Of course I came personally, who would let a Nobel prize slip through their fingers like that?_

"You...don't need to thank me." Was all he could say.

"Why not...? To me...You're giving me my life back. At least...I'll get to see her again."

Before Athrun could say more to soften his resolve to keep the project all to himself, "He added, "We will clear the paperwork these two days and start ASAP, don't worry for now, just concentrate on eating and sleeping well."

Athrun nodded once, stretched out, and was asleep within minutes.

G let out a breath he had been holding.

Ooo

_Cagalli had not expected Kira to fall ill._

It started with a flu that worsened each day and would not go away with rest and antibiotics. Soon, he was complaining of persistent chest pains and muscle aches, Cagalli got worried, and various tests and examinations yielded no conclusive results. Then eventually, he started using sugar as salt in copious amounts and declared that the food was delicious.

Cagalli tried to reason with him, it did not work, and Kira threatened to burn down the house should she say another word. When he slapped Lacus one day for keeping all the sugar in the house, it became clear to her that Kira was no longer sane. Her suspicion was right, he had been infected, it was the plague. Subsequently, Kira passed out after an arguement with Cagalli.

_She watched with a broken heart when the authorities came that night and took Kira, kicking and screaming away from them. _

Lacus cried, and they cried together in the nights, and prayed in the days. They would take turns to take care of Kira in the hospital, who had been sedated to stay away the convulsive phase and to prevent him from hurting himself and the medical staff in his fits of madness.

Lacus buried herself in work as an honorary member of the temporary government, drawing up policies and tie-over strategies that would help the effort of reestablishing diplomatic ties, but Cagalli knew she was just trying to numb herself by doing something, anything. She was staying strong for both their sakes.

Soon, it became evident that Kira was not going to make it, he spiked fevers that reach up to 41 degrees Celsius and his blood profiles were crashing, he began to show signs like bruises all over his arms and legs, and respiratory distress. It was the most experienced oncologist from Orb who had to break the grimmest news to Lacus.

"Lady Cagalli...Miss Lacus Clyne..." The doctor did not continue, merely shook his head.

_By then, Cagalli could not say a word to comfort Lacus. She had come to PLANTs wanting to make things right, wanting to save Athrun, not to watch her brother die. They had found that the source of contamination lay at the heart of the water filtration system in Aprilius, it was removed and eradicated, but what was done was done._

_And Kira was only 25..._

_Her tears had run dry. Death descended like a black cloud, choking the city in it's miasma._

Lacus hardly slept, she spent all her time by Kira's bedside. Watching him sleep, holding his hands and singing or speaking softly, it was heartbreaking to watch her pine as he wasted away. Around them, other patients disappeared as some started convulsing, others died. It was all too terrible…

"Kira...don't go...don't leave me..." Lacus muttered over and over, as if her mantra could somehow bind him to life…

One night, they were told that Kira might not live till morning. And both of them held each other in the ward, watching, waiting.

It was the longest, most dreadful night in her life. They were fortunate Kira survived the night...

For in the morning, a cure came, breaking through the gloom like the first light of dawn.

The first batch of antidote was released in small quantities, and miraculously, Kira was among the recipients.

It worked like magic, Kira woke up lucid and hungry two days after the administration of the little miracle vial of clear serum. The first thing he asked Lacus when he could talk was that whether it hurt when he hit her, the second was if she was really pregnant like what she said when he was sleeping. Lacus nodded tearfully to that, holding on to his hands tightly.

Cagalli left the two of them to their whispering of sweet nothing's and long and erratic embraces.

_With Kira on the way to recovery, she could finally refocus. She had returned to PLANTs for only one reason…_

"Athrun, where are you..?" She found herself whispering to the coffee mug one day.

She realized that she had absentmindedly made two cups, and the other cup sat forlorn on the table, it would be where Athrun would sit to have dinner with her, probably also teasing her about why she looked so haggard nowadays...

_She felt her eyes get hot._

_She was lost like a ship torn from its moorings, and she felt utterly useless. She hadn't been able to do anything for him, she did not even know where he was after so long. She missed him so terribly, sometimes she would go to the wardrobe, find his trademark sunshine yellow turtleneck, and hug the soft fabric to sleep. _

_Eventually, she will have to return to Orb to face the emirs, but she was too ashamed to return to Max and Marlene empty-handed. She was jaded and vengeful at those who had locked Athrun away and had accused her of promiscuity by being involved with Leonidas and Athrun, of abusing her status to get Kira the cure. _She did nothing of that sort, but apparently there were only 20 vials of the serum available, yet Kira and Dearka were both apparently among the first batch to receive it.

_Was it just a coincidence, or was there someone to draw up the list...?_

The miracle serum was rumored to have been derived from a medical research center in central Aprilius, and things had turned ugly from there. The media and desperate family members of the sick attempted to break into the facility, demanding that they hand over all their stocks of the serum. One vial sold for two million in the black market and counterfeit cures became a crime problem. The center was adamant in their stand that they were temporarily out of stock and refused to release more information about the methods of synthesize. But obviously, no one believed them. There were rioters outside the building on an hourly basis, the police had ringed and barricaded the place.

She was sitting on the sofa absentmindedly leafing through the research left by Ulen Hibiki, trying to find out more and listening to the news that riots and armed group had attempted to break into the facility. Lacus had gone to pick up Kira, who was going to be discharged.

Suddenly, the windows started to rattle, she wondered why but for a few second when without warning, an explosion sent her flying forward and the place quaked as the bomb brought the house down. She did not even have time to draw breathe as the sofa flipped behind her and landed heavily over her. She curled up instinctively as she was forced into a huddle on the ground, reducing the surface area that could be burnt by the bellowing heat and fire. Her arms and the back of her neck were already blistering and hurting.

It was sonorous, things were collapsing around her, she yelled for help. She screamed aloud as something heavy collapsed heavily atop the inverted sofa. Soon it will burn right through, but all she saw around her were flames and falling debris. "Wayne!" She cried helplessly, "WAYNE! Where are you? Anyone?!"

_There was no one in the place, she bit her lip, reining in her tears. _

_There! An opening in the flames that leads to the exit, a full length glass window. She was on the second floor, but it was her only chance._

Quickly, she crawled out from under the sofa and ran out low, braving the fires as fast as she could. A few meters from the glass, she raised her arms to protect her face and brace for impact as she crashed right through the glass window.

It was a moment of pure exhilaration as cool night air met her face, and she savoured her breath and thanked the heavens for being alive to breathe it. She landed on her feet and rolled forward on the soft grass. More glass bits cut her skin.

Lacus had apparently arrived home and broke from the restrains of a few butlers as she quickly ran and wrapped herself around her. "Oh my! Cagalli! Are you alright?"

Cagalli nodded, grateful to be alive, but too shaken for words, and she had no heart to tell Lacus she was hurting her. Lacus helped her onto her feet, and Kira took off his coat and wrapped it around her. She was only in her tank top and shorts, her feet started to hurt, and she realized she has a deep cut on her ankle as well.

The gardeners and maids from the other wings had arrived, and they began to put out the fire using buckets and garden hoses. But their efforts were in vain, the fire brigade arrived with the media dogs, all these people watched with the mansion's staff as the flames rose higher and higher until the house razed to the ground, some had tears in their eyes.

Wayne was one of those, his white hair singed. In a sorrowful and tired tone he tried to explain. "This was the house where Master Zala and Mdm once lived. Young master grew up here..."

_Athrun had never told her that this was where he had spent his childhood, and Cagalli began to feel sad as the house soon collapsed on it's own scaffold. Taking with it some blackened corpses, she shuddered, knowing she should have been one of them._

"Let's get you some shoes, we go to the hospital." Said Kira, steering her gently by the shoulders.  
"Kay..." She consented, her eyes glued to the house. _It felt like it was all she had left of him, now it was gone...life really left her nothing..._

_Not even that yellow turtleneck she could cry into to pretend he was still there with her..._

In the car, she was listening to the news reporting the incident that just happened. Apparently the attack was aimed at her, they called her a hypocrite for bringing aid to PLANTs. It was done by an unknown terrorist group who claimed that it was a mistake to let Naturals step onto PLANTs surface. Kira clicked his tongue irritably while applying cold compress on her wounds, but Cagalli did not regret her decision. She had done all that was in her power to protect him…

At the hospital, she was still mourning her loss, and could not care less as doctors wrapped up her wounds and a nice staff nurse cut off her hair that had been burnt.

Lacus suddenly barged into the treatment room.

"Miss, you can't come in now." The medical staff blocked her way and told her. Cagalli looked up in surprise, it was unlike the pink songstress.

"This is very important..." Lacus insisted, Cagalli's interest was piqued.

"But you can't..."

"Cagalli!" Lacus yelled over the crowd, it was so uncharacteristic of the gentle and demure Lacus Clyne.

"Athrun called!"

"What?" Cagalli whispered, her heart raced.

ooo

_A few hours ago._

"This is the second desaturation today..." Albert muttered as he examined the charts, "It might precipitate ARDS. We need to watch him more closely..."

G frowned, worry creased his brow.

They were on the final, critical phase of the dose escalation. And it did not seem like Athrun could take much more...

The human body was just not designed to withstand prolonged, excruciating pain, it did not matter if they were Naturals or Coordinators. Beyond a certain pain threshold, the body chooses to shut down from the supposed damage and goes into shock, and Athrun's body was swiftly approaching that point, his stress markers are flying off the charts. They had given him medications, but the limitation was that these have little efficacy past a certain threshold. The only way was to increase the doses huge enough to numb the nerves, but it would knock him out altogether. Athrun vehemently refused once they suggested that option. He would not let them put him to sleep even if he had to bear with the pain, _it seemed as if he was afraid of something..._

"Dr Winhill, Dr Canberry!" A nurse came running, "The protestors have broken past the second storey, they are heading up in the elevators! What do we do?"

"Shut the barricades." G ordered.

The labyrinth of labs spanned the entire ninth floor with a need for increasing security clearance as it moved deeper in and with the research lab tucked most inside. The rioters will have to get past many security devices before they could get in...

"Do we issue an evacuation order?" She pressed, looking like she wanted to run.

"No, not yet. Just go, do as I say!" He snapped, shooing her off.

_It will buy him time to do what he needs to do, he cursed himself for selling that extra two vials of purified antibodies to a man able and willing to surrender his fortune in exchange for his daughter's life, it led the mob here..._

"Giorados!" Albert cried, "We have to tell the public the truth, I know we promised him, but in the event we really have to evacuate, we can't move him like this! It's too risky."

"Tell the truth? You think they will believe us when we say we don't have more at the moment?"

"They will believe you if you told them that the cure was derived from an immune host contrary to belief. Logically, the production is limited by how much we can obtain without killing the host!" Albert insisted, then rounded sharply in front of him as he did not reply.

"Giorados, please! This research did not belong to any of us! Our priority is to keep Athrun safe..."

Giorados did not let Albert finish, he sent a hard punch to his diaphragm, effectively knocking him out for a moment.

"Gior...!" He sputtered, then his body went limp.

G pushed him aside roughly, then indicated to the two men who were standing in the shadows. "Let's go. We need to deliver the goods."

"What about him?" One man pointed at Albert, cracking his knuckles audibly.

"Leave him be. The two of you go dress the part."

"Yes sir."

The party stomped to Athrun's room after changing, and G forcibly shut off a few exits on his way in by jamming in his security pass backwards. His hand rested on the final door handle as he took a deep breath, then swiped his security pass and walked in.

"Mr Zala, we have to go...!" He implored, touching Athrun's arm urgently.

_He had to put up a show and make Athrun leave with him willingly; he was worth an unimaginable sum. G would leave with him and make his fortune another time._

Athrun was barely conscious as he opened his eyes groggily, but did not get up and did not look as if he recognized G, his brow was coated with perspiration. This was pretty much the default state-of-being he was in for the last few days due to the side effects and high doses of medicines, which includes severe nausea, extravasations and respiratory depression. He had hardly gotten out of bed or eaten anything over the last few days as a result, and there were multiple burns so bad that some of his veins simply cannot be used anymore.

_G could not help but admired him, for through the hardship and suffering he never complained..._

"G...?" He whispered questioningly, his voice so weak it was barely audible. G recalled the multiple desaturations, and knew that any more exertion might kill him, but G preferred dead to never. His role was to transport him to the stipulated place, the buyer did not care if he was dead or alive.

_His bones were bursting at the seams with marrow. Even dead, he will be useful. _

He grabbed Athrun's wrists forcibly, imagining it was a wad of cash. "Yes, come with me. A bunch of madmen and reporters have broken in, they want to kill you. We are evacuating the lab." He lied as he helped Athrun sit up, and began to disconnect the IV lines and electrodes.

"Why…?" Athrun questioned, a little more alert now, his eyes were glinting. He looked uncertainly at the two men behind Giorados.

"They believe the plague is Divine-sent, and any cure is sent by the devil." G tattled and lied.

Athrun only nodded grimly, he shook himself, then allowed himself to be dragged off.

Ooo

Albert Canberry woke up, and he almost panicked. He quickly got himself off the floor even though it hurt terribly to do so, his abdomen was sore. "No...Athrun!" He sputtered, walking forward unsteadily and making his way to to save his friend. He was alarmed to find that some of the doors will not open even when he swiped his security pass. And he was forced to summon help to make the exits open by force, precious time was wasted. After which, he sounded the evacuation alarm, it was probably too late anyway. If Giorados had taken Athrun then there was no point staying staying in the building.

_This cannot be happening...!_

The hopes of the populace rode on the success of this research, Giorados knew that, but he took Athrun anyway. Albert cannot just let it happen, furthermore Athrun was in mortal danger. Albert bit his lip, trying to contain his worries, then quickly picked up his phone and called. He waited for Yzak to pick up as he broke down entrances after entrances and finally reached Athrun's room.

As expected, it was empty. There were no signs of struggle, the bedding and equipment were all intact, meaning Giorados made use of the Athrun's trust to deceive him and get him to coorperate. Albert gasped softly in dread, hammering his fist on the wall, he knew that whatever's going on did not involve keeping Athrun alive. "No!"

There was a click as the line went through, "Yzak speaking..."

"Yzak we must get help!" Albert screamed, "He took Athrun!"

"What...?!"

ooo

Athrun sat in the helicopter, still somewhat conscious but half hoping to be otherwise. He was nauseous and his body was in generalized pain, especially his legs. He wrapped about himself as he shivered involuntarily, the pain worsened. They did not disappoint, he was indeed feeling terrible, so much so that he thought of just sleeping and never wake up…

"Where's...Albert...?" He asked G beside him, the man had a haunted look on his face, and if Athrun read correctly, fear.

G ignored him.

"G...?" He implored, coughing with the effort, it was getting harder and harder to breath, and he swallowed grimly, wondering if there was anything wrong.

He was giddy with asphyxiation and realized he could not quite think clearly anymore, perspiration drained down his temple.

_He wondered where they were going, and hoped that they will reach soon, the pain was escalating, and he was beginning to gasp like a fish out of water..._

Through the hatch he could see that they were flying past Athrun's estate, and he was alarmed to find dark smoke bellowing out from where his parent's house once stood. Media helicopters and fire trucks surrounded the inferno, and on the ground surface his heart leapt as he saw Lacus, she looked like she had wanted to dash into the house, but a few people restrained her, she trashed and cried and Athrun's heart contracted.

_It was either Cagalli or Kira in danger..._

"We are reaching the launch point soon..." The pilot reported, Athrun realized something was indeed amiss, it did not make sense to leave the PLANTs, _the sick are there, the cure should stay.  
_"G...?" He asked again, "What's...happening...?"

Giorados did not answer, and Athrun did not get the chance to ask again, he was getting so breathless he could not talk.

_And by then he knew that he was at the mercy of whatever mischief going on..._

Through his blurry vision, he saw the military come into view as the launch point approached. It was an alarming sight, their guns were raised and pointed at the helicopter, suddenly it occurred to Athrun what had happened.

"Director of medical board, Dr Giorados Winhill, surrender the test subject. This is an act of treason." Someone said over loud hailer, it sounded like Frank Wisely.

G took the mic as he shoved Athrun backwards against the seat. "Let's not act saint, Commissioner, everyone lied. Everyone is making use of him..."

"_True_." thought Athrun dimly.

"This is my ultimatum. Surrender or we will open fire." Frank repeated, nonpussed.

G cursed, the opened the helicopter door beside Athrun, cool air rushed in. And floodlights overwhelmed his vision, he squeezed his eyes shut and felt G's hand on his arm, threatening to push him out.

"Get out of the way, or I will kill him…And I will make sure there will not be a single drop of blood left for anyone to exploit!" G threatened.

This made Frank hesitate, Athrun had no means to defend himself against either parties, but he was somewhat aware that he will be useless to both if he became a meat patty...

Frank Wisely gave an order, and with a flash and a loud bang, one of the Zakus had fired at them. The round's force zoomed past Athrun, and the sound was loud enough to cause him momentarily deafness, the helicopter swerved violently to avoid the round, crushing Athrun against G.

"Surrender." Frank Wisely commandeered.

"Missiles!" G shouted, and there was a backward lurch as missiles were undoubtedly loosed from the front ports of the helicopter.

There was another bang, something caused the helicopter to swerve right and began to lose altitude, Athrun was disoriented in the tumble. G yelled, and suddenly lost his hold on the side door of the helicopter as it tilted steeply right, there was a moment when he fell past Athrun, and would have fallen to his death if Athrun had not grabbed hold of his arm in time.

G's eyes were wide as he gazed at Athrun, and they seemed to ask a question he could not articulate.

'_Why_?'

Athrun clenched his jaw and focused all his might to hold on. One arm was anchored to the handbar between the front and back seats, the other grabbing G.

"Boss!" One of the two man tried to reach Giorados, but when he realize it was simply too far he grabbed on to Athrun's arm so hard that it hurt. "Don't you dare let go!"

"Athrun...Help...help me!" G cried desperately, his eyes wide with panic. _Athrun could not and did not reply, he only watched and waited. He did not know why he did, only that he did not want to have anyone else die in front of him._

The ground was rushing at them as they plunged and he let go when they were close enough to the ground so G could at least land with maybe a broken leg. By then he was spent, and the pressure around his lungs intensified. He curled up in pain and waited to die, time seemed to come to a standstill, all sounds cease. There was no more explosions, nobody shouting, no cameras clicking.

_He was falling, falling through nothingness._

He thought of Cagalli and Kira, and yearned with all his heart that they were safe...

"Ventilate with 100% oxygen…!"

_He coughed, and tasted blood. He was not sure how long had passed, but he came to again in an emergency treatment room. People in white were shouting and rushing around, he saw with relief that the one fully garbed in scrubs beside him was Albert, he was pressing an oxygen mask snugly over Athrun's nose and mouth._

"It's ARDS..." Albert declared grimly as he observed some numbers on a screen to his left, "The results shows bilateral pleural effusions. We have no choice, do it now!"

Athrun managed to lift a hand and took hold of his sleeve, Albert looked surprised for a moment, then squeezed out a reassuring smile.

"Athrun?" He muttered. "You're going to be fine, I know it's horrible for you. Try to relax, breathe..."

Athrun knew a lie when he heard it. When two staff approached him with some vile-looking metal instruments and a syringe of clear, bright-red medication he recognized too well, he panicked. But Albert held him down, "Listen, you're in danger, it's a very rare but serious side effects. We need you to sleep for a while for the last dose..."

"No..."He forced out his protests, feebly pushing against Albert.

"Athrun!" Albert reprimanded. "Please, lives are at stake here."

"...But...!" He reminded them desperately, he was not afraid to die, he only hoped that they would adhere to that promise.

_They had promised to let him see her again..._

He felt tears gather in his eyes, he has been so afraid that he will not wake up; that sleep would be eternal. He had wanted so badly to apologize personally; even if it's the last time...

Albert snapped at him. "If this goes on you are gonna die! Trust me!"

_He only mustered enough strength to shake to his head, he hated it that everyone was treating him like an idiot._

"You guys...promised!" He rasped.

Albert paused at that, as if remembering what he had pledged, clenching his teeth.  
Then hesitated, "One call." He compromised. "If I let you make one phone call, you have to do as I say."

Athrun nodded gratefully. _It was his final bid..._

Albert pressed his own mobile into Athrun's palm, his hands were shaking and uncoordinated and he could not see the numbers. But he somehow managed to key in Cagalli's number with his trembling fingers, the dial tone rang, Athrun waited, heart in mouth.

_But no one picked up..._

"The mobile customer you have called is currently unavailable, please try again later. At the tone, please record your message."

Athrun felt his heart sink, fearing the worst had happened to her.

"You had your call." Albert declared as he reached to take back his phone. Athrun only pleaded weakly as he keyed in Lacus's number this time, and waited as the phone rang once, twice, thrice.

Then a click as the line connected.

"Hello, Lacus here, may I know who's on the line?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, never so happy to hear Lacus's voice in his life, warmth wrapped around his heart like a security blanket. Suddenly he felt like a child safe in bed with his first Teddy bear.

"It's me..." He rasped.

Lacus inhaled sharply, and her voice was high with elation when she next spoke. "Athrun...! Is really you? You're safe!"

Athrun felt hot tears trickle down the side of his face at the familarity, for a moment, he could pretend he had not been abandoned...

"Yeah...Hey...Are Cag…Kira...?"

"Kira is right beside me, he's fine now. But someone tried to kill Cagalli, we are at the hospital, the doctors are wrapping her up...". Athrun felt his insides tighten at that. "She's alright." Lacus added hurriedly, "A few cuts and minor burns only. How about you, Athrun? We haven't heard anything and they would not let us see you...And you sound awful, are you sick…?"

_Athrun would not know he was smiling as he heard that, and the last thing he heard before the phone slipped out of his lifeless fingers and onto the floor was Kira's voice._

"Athrun...? Where are you?"

"Athrun?!"

Ooo

Cagalli's heart contracted, a thousand possibilities flashed through her mind. It was like a lightning bolt had streaked through the darkness. "What? When?" She sat up immediately, her mouth had suddenly become dry, "Is it really Athrun...?" She bit her lip.

"Just." Lacus replied. "It's him."

"What did he say?" She pressed, she was somewhat relieved.

_If he called once, he will call again, right?_

But for some reason, Lacus was not smiling. "He was worried, he asked about Kira and you...I told him both of you were safe...but..."

"But what..?" Cagalli's heart swelled, she was touched that Athrun was worried about her, but she was alarmed as she sensed Lacus's hesitation.

"I don't know..." Lacus said quietly, "He sounded quite awful."

"Awful...? Awful as in...?" Cagalli pressed, taking Lacus's arm, eager for more details. Cagalli was heartsick and tired, she could not take much more bad news, but she had to know.

"...Awful in what way...?"

Lacus shook her head slowly, "Awful, as in...breathless."

Ooo

Past midnight, the three of them stared at the news report in dismay.

"The vice director of the PLANTs medical has issued a statement after clashes between the director of the medical board and the police. He acknowledged that there were disagreements and internal strife as well as a possibility of corruption. The cure was manufactured not by chemical processes like most believed, but by derivation from an immune host. The identity of this mystery host is still under intense scrutiny, however, there is strong evidence to suggest that he is in fact, the ex-Chariman of PLANTs who is under trial, Mr Athrun Zala. Let us take you on site."

The screen changed from the reporter to the site were the helicopter crashed, a man who was hanging from the helicopter a few moments ago got up, seemingly unscathed, and began to dig through the debris. He was stopped and cuffed. Apparently that man was the director who tried to privatize the cure. Then Albert appeared, Cagalli recognized him, he was one of the Supreme Councilors and was the one who brought the miracle vial. He ran to the crashsite, uncaring of the people who tried to stop him. He appeared to be shouting on the video, then pulled someone out of the debris. He laid him down on a stretcher and used his white coat to cover him. There was a whole bunch of people, but through the flurry of limbs Cagalli saw one instant that made her heart race.

_The person Albert had carried out of the wreck had dark blue hair, one arm was also visible through the mass of rescuers, and that arm was riddled with bright red IV plugs._ She rewound the scene just to make sure she was not mistaken and paused at one frame where his face was visible through the mass of human bodies. The picture was tiny and pixelated, but enough for her to recognize him.

"It looks like Athrun..." Kira muttered, and it became even more dreadful to watch the scene.

The screen changed again, to one entitled 'Statement issued by Spokesperson of PLANTs medical'. He was squished between many microphones and reporters.

"The first batch issued was as much as we could extract without harming the host, and at present moment there are complications. The next batch will be delayed, but will definitely be released in larger quantities than the first. For the moment, please be patient with us. Our labs have been destroyed, we will base our operations from Glenhawk's medical for now..."

One of the reporters questioned, "Who is this host, is he really Chairman Zala?"  
Another pressed, "What kind of complications, was it induced by the extraction process?"  
"What happens if Chairman Zala dies?"  
"When will the next batch be released?"

But the man would not answer those questions, he retreated back into the building.

Cagalli took out her handphone, and stared at the one missed call. It was made just half a minute before the call made to Lacus's phone and bore the same unknown number that got through to Lacus. Athrun had probably tried to contact her as well, she cursed herself for not picking up that call. She could have been the one conversing with him...

Tired but determined, she slept fitfully, and next day. She made her way to Glenhawk's medical. Limping all the way to the hospital's reception.

"I want to see Athrun Zala."

Of course the receptionist told her they had no such patient, but she did not give up, she wandered down the white corridors, desperately hoping for a miracle.

Ooo

Central Police station, virtual room.

"This is a serious breach of confidentiality and trust, Dr Winhill. Does these two words mean anything to you?" Steven spoke evenly from the hologram.

Giorados smiled in a tired manner, he could not find a reply, it was his turn being cuffed and interrogated by none other than the Supreme Council. He was fine except for a twisted ankle...

"I am...above all, disappointed." Yulie Amarfi said very softly, "I've known you since you were a boy, I thought you were above this..."

"I agree on that..." He muttered, laughing at himself. He could have achieved so much more, he had wanted to take the cure with him to space, where he could complete his research and perhaps earn a billion or two. Then retire early, honoured and beheld as the man who saved the PLANTs. If Athrun did not want the credit, he was sure he was second in place, it was his to claim, he merely chose to take it...

Yulie Amarfi only shook his head, apparently misunderstood.

"On that topic, why didn't you?" Yzak Jule questioned with a frown, "You went all the way to put both yourself and the subject in mortal danger. And you are more resourceful than this, if you escaped from prison tonight I wouldn't be surprised."

"You're right...then, I could have gotten away with the cure and you guys will not be able to find me..." He admitted.

"Then...why didn't you?"

He laughed, "I...got soft."

Yzak Jule considered, then replied sarcastically, "So you suddenly had a revelation that the cure is not just a cure, he's human."

"It's not because he's just human, it's because...he's Ath..."

"Tsshh." Albert interrupted him rudely, "You almost killed him, you're not worthy to use his name!"

"Please explain yourself." Steven requested.

"..." Giorados hesitated, "In the heli...It wasn't a case of 'I grabbed on to him as I fell...'"

"It's the other way round?" Yulie Amarfi guessed immediately.

G nodded, still unable to believe it.

"He knew...he knew I had betrayed him out of my selfishness...yet..."

"Yet he chose to save you..." Albert completed his statement, rolling his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" G was amused as the other Councilors nodded wanly in unison.

_He was acutely aware that these people are not just Athrun's colleagues, these are his friends. Apparently he had treated him like he did his friends, he was mortified, and guilt drove in deeper..._  
"How is he now?" He asked, the Councilors looked at each other hesitantly, as if wondering whether to answer.

It was eventually Violet, the one whom Athrun had specified as Murasaki who said, "Albert, I think you are the best person to update us on this."

"He's in a medically-induced coma...No thanks to you." Alert threw G a dirty look, then twisted his mouth. "Luckily, we managed to complete the dose escalation in time..."

"Was that before or after intubation?" G asked in surprise, it was a risky move.

"During…" Albert said almost unwillingly, then he turned to the rest. "It will take another 5 to 10 days from now."

Yzak took a deep breath, breathing out very slowly as he asked. "And...if, what if…Athrun dies...?"

"It will be delayed by another 3 to 5 days, but basically we will have to dissect immediately and vacuum out the marrow, then culture." Albert reported in a matter-of-factly way.

Violet shuddered visibly at that, it was a graphic and horrendous mind image.

"And hope." G added.

"And hope..." Albert agreed reluctantly.

"What does that mean?" Yzak questioned curtly.

"Stem cells are generally fastidious, Coordinators have perfected the art of culturing them, but these cells have been fused with the viral nuclei, we cannot assume they will take to the same conditions." G explained.

"And if that happens it will all be your fault." Albert retorted without missing a beat.

"That is enough." Yzak said impatiently.

Yulie Amarfi nodded, "Dr Giorados Winhill, your lack of discretion will be dealt with, but only after this...project is finished. For now, we would like you to continue to provide your expertise, but at a distance and under the leadership of Dr Albert Canberry. Doing so will ultimately reduce the charges that will be brought against you, are you agreeable?"

"Yes."

"Good." Albert stuck a tongue out at him.

Ooo

They sat in silence for a while after the connection was severed. "Yzak." Albert reached to touch his friend on the shoulder, "Stop it...you are becoming the next Athrun."

"Stop what?" Yzak asked without looking up.

"Blaming yourself." Steven leaned back and said, "We agreed, when we found out that Athrun was the one and only carrying the antibody we freaked, but we did what needs to be done."

"I can't believe it..." Yzak muttered dejectedly, he shook his head.

"What if...Athrun doesn't make it...?" He whispered very quietly.

"That's what we are talking about." Steven sighed, "No one could predict that Giorados will betray us..."

"And the chances of precipitating ARDS is only 0.012%, who can predict that he's unlucky enough to be the one in that 10,000?" Albert added.

"Yzak..." Violet stood up and walked over from the opposite side, and when Yzak made no response she squatted down in front of him and touched his arm gently. "Supreme Councilor Yzak Jule, head of December city, look at me."

Yzak did, in a gradual and tired fashion.

"It was a collective decision, a shared blame. We put Athrun through this, we agreed to let Albert and his accomplices infringe on every single law ever made on human rights. We withheld testimonies from the courts and detained witnesses and committed this heinous crime of cruelly denying our friend the chance to get in contact with those who ever held a place in his heart. We attempted to severe his bonds to the living...in hopes that he will consent to death. And he did, readily and willingly, he saw what needs to be done..."

"That's..." Yzak muttered, but Violet shook her head, pleading for him to listen. "Don't you see? We have accomplished what we needed to do as leaders of PLANTs. You, Yzak Jule..." She paused, "…should know better, should understand better than anyone what it is to make hard...but excellent decisions." She paused, and sighed.

" It does not justify what we have done, but it is, and remains the sovereign will of the PLANTs provisional government..."

Everyone was quiet, and no one made a sound as Yzak studied Violet for a few moments, then nodded grimly. Tears made their way down face, and he wiped at his face roughly. But it was too late, others have seen, and others have tears in their eyes. Violet leaned closer and held him gently, comforting him.

She took a deep breath. "And if it needs to be anyone's sin, Yzak…it's mine...it's mine, Athrun saved my life...!" She whispered, her voice shaking. "...He didn't deserve this."

Steven whispered pensively. "…At least…to see his wife once more..."

Albert took a deep breath, clasping his hands together as he broached the topic, "People...Actually...I kinda...let Athrun contact his wife before..."

There was a moment of breath holding, pin-dropping silence, and Albert halted in mid-sentence, gazing around for endorsement, but he found none.

"Don't look at me like that!" He panicked when Violet gave him a death glare. "It was the only way Athrun would let us save him! And he sorta didn't get through..."

"Who else did he call other than Yula Athha?!" Yzak demanded, not being fooled by the waffle.

"Erm...Just Lacus Clyne and Yamato..."

Steven whistled gleefully, "That's three witnesses we cannot touch." Yulie Amarfi was smiling and frowning at the same time, "Oh boy..."

"Soak that bloody phone of yours in hydrochloric acid and cancel the mobile line!"

"But..."

"Now!"

Ooo

And so Supreme Councilor Albert walked grumpily down the hallways of the hospital, holding in his hands his poor phone which had just escaped manhandling and certain death. He managed to wrestle it back from his colleagues on the grounds of needing to transfer his contacts and backing up documents.

So when the phone rang he picked it up without looking at the number and muttered in a woe-be-gone manner. "Hello, Albert speaking."

"Supreme Councilor Albert? My name is Cagalli...Do you know where Athrun is?"

Albert literally froze, he stood rooted to the spot as his brain went into overdrive, trying to find all sorts of excuses to decline the woman. Eventually he sputtered, "No...I...Wrong number!"

"But..." Cagalli exclaimed as he hung up, then he realized that the voice was not just from the receiver, it sounded further too.

He looked up to see Cagalli Yula Athha in front of him, staring accusingly at the handphone in his hands. She was beautiful by Natural's standards, but shabbily dressed and rugged. Her golden hair was shortened, and she looked as tired as she did when Albert first saw her in person. And there were bandaids and bandages on her face and neck.

He did the only thing he could, he ran.

"Wait!" Cagalli cried as she gave chase, Albert had planned to lose her by the next corner, but she was persistent even though she was limping.

"Don't follow me!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"Tell me where Athrun is!" She insisted, but she was lagging behind now, and Albert almost stopped when he realized she has an injury on her ankle.

"I don't know where he is!" He lied, running faster than ever, and the nurses stared as he sprinted past.

"Only you know! Ah!"

Albert stopped, slowly he turned and gaze at her, she was on the ground, rubbing her forehead. She had probably tripped and fell. And two nurses were helping her up, "Miss? Are you alright? Please don't run in the hospital corridors..."

"Ow..." She quickly picked herself up, and looked up frantically in search for Albert, her eyes were wet. She looked him in the eye, a chill rode up his spine as he saw the anger and mischief in them; she is definitely up to something.

"Please help me!"She yelled for all to hear. "That man, he stole my...!" He quickly stepped forward to cup his hand over her mouth before his reputation is forever tarnished.

"Alright!" He conceded, "I'll bring you. Don't shout."

She nodded benignly like a kitten, then inched his hand off. "Really? You know where he is?"

He nodded. "Five minutes, that's all you get."

"Okay." She nodded in agreement as he helped her up. Albert frowned, and wondered why Athrun and so many other great men are so smitten with this one woman. She is pretty even without makeup, but obviously rough and uncivilized and cunning...

_Until she held his hands in both of hers and beamed wholeheartedly at him and whispered. _"Thank you, thank you so much."

Albert averted his gaze as he felt his cheeks colouring unexpectedly, he began to notice how gorgeous those honey-colored eyes are, how her smile, though laced with fear and sadness took his breath away…

Her hands too, were not the soft and manicured ones that the so-called elite, fine ladies should have. But so real; warm and textured in a tantalizing manner. He studied her hands further, and realized that he had a little heartache upon seeing the bandages around her wrists and arms and the little scratches and burnt marks that were not covered.

"Supreme Councilor...?" She questioned as he did not speak.

"Please, my lady...Just Albert will do..." He managed to stammer a reply.

Her smile widened, and he noticed how tout the skin on her soft, pink lips were...

"Alright then, Albert." His heart hammered surprisingly fast as she called his name. He knew by then he was in deep trouble, he was having fantasies about the Sovereign of Orb, and a married woman at that...

_No she wasn't married...not by law_...He reasoned within himself.

"Erm...Albert? Can we go now?" She asked gingerly, vanquishing his fantasies about what he can do to win her over and what he will do with her then...

"Of course, this way..."

Ooo

_Albert Canberry is a pratical man, in many ways, his ethics are similar to Giorados, there was alikeness, there was admiration, that was why the two of them hit it off so well. Both were absolute in their beliefs that science was god, and numbers do not lie. He recommended Giorados the moment the project X21 was proposed. _

_Due to the fact that he knew Athrun personally, it will be inappropriate, even uncomfortable if he were the first-line in-charged. They were friends, colleagues for quite a few years. And if it were not for the fact that Yzak wanted someone medically- trained on board, he would not even be here._

_What he did not expect was that Giorados would try to sell him out and take Athrun with him, that was how ugly greed was. Albert was jaded by this so-called friendship, and angry at himself for letting things turn out this way. Somehow it feels that he was also at fault that Athrun is in the state that he is in._

_Albert was not surprised Athrun would sign the indemnity and save Giorados, and in hindsight, he knew Athrun would have probably done it without the deliberate set-up, that was just Athrun being Athrun. During the project, Albert would take it upon himself to visit beyond his duties, just to distract Athrun a little from the increasing discomfort. He enjoyed himself everytime, it started with one chat about automobiles, and then he went everyday._

_When Albert read the breaking news about the supposed marriage with Yula Athha, he asked Athrun deliberately. "Hey dude, what do you think of Cagalli Yula Athha? You know, Orb's matriarch."_

_Athrun raised his eyebrow and almost dropped the book he was reading, and he gazed at Albert in surprise._

_"Didn't you say you guys are married? What is she like?" Albert pressed, knowing full and well that Athrun did not know the truth that Cagalli had declared likewise. And he was supposed to reveal nothing to him._

_Athrun's shoulders sagged a little, sadness in his eyes. It seemed that he was thinking really hard, but his expression was filled with tenderness when he next spoke."She's...funny, cheerful and beautiful. More gentle than she claims to be. Why?"_

_"Leonidas Fitzbane claimed that they are going to have a baby."_

_Athrun's expression turned sour. _

_"Oh."_

_"So who's telling the truth? How many men can this one woman claim, is she that loose?"_

_"No!" Athrun replied most vehemently, it was the strongest emotional response possibly elicited since he knew Athrun. His interest was piqued._

_"I really don't understand then, she made you a cuckoo and yet you want to apologize to .."_

_"Albert Canberry, there's a difference between being unfaithful and being forced." Athrun said crossly, interrupting him, then bit his lip and sighed grimly. He clenched his fists and brought them together on his lap._

_"…I wasn't there for her, I could not save her from that man...I wasn't even there to comfort her in the aftermath…" Athrun hid his face, seemingly unable to continue. _

_Albert looked at him in consideration. Not voicing out his thoughts. _

_You couldn't help it, dude. You were in exile with the whole world hunting you down…How can you save someone when you can't even save yourself?_

"_She was…impregnated in the encounter, and...and even though I hate Fitzbane enough I could kill him with my bare hands..." At this point Athrun squeezed the air like it was someone's neck. "The child is…innocent, and the child deserves a family. Back in space, I thought I was going to die, and I hoped that the man will cherish her, but..." He wrung his hands on the blanket._

_"It just… didn't happen..." Athrun said dejectedly. He closed his eyes, and said with finality as he shook his head slightly. _

_"He hated me more than he could love anyone..."_

_Albert bit his lip, and said. "You love her." _

_Athrun had the decency to be startled for a moment at the proclamation, then nodded and whispered softly, the way he spoke was so gentle it made Albert believe. _

_"More than life itself."_

"_That means…you would die for her?"_

_Athrun merely smiled, and would not give a straight answer._

ooo

Five minutes later, Albert will eventually make a vow that he never wanted to see this woman cry again. She made her way gingerly into the isolation room, and simply gazed at the figure lying supine on the bed for a few unblinking moments, then sat down beside him, took his hand and sobbed.

"Oh no…Oh my goodness."

Albert retreated then, a sour, constricting feeling in his chest. He wanted to give them some privacy, they had been searching for each other for so long, they deserved the five minutes…

He watched his watch for up to ten minutes, and sorrow gripped his heart as tapped her on the shoulder and escorted her beyond the secure area and watched her retreating back.

_It was most dreadful to know he might never see her again..._

His heart leapt in elation as she came back in another few minutes with a palm-sized, crème-coloured Teddy bear, she hobbled over and pressed it into his hands tearfully. It was soft and friendly-looking with a big, green bow, short fur and large eyes, and seemed to say 'Hi, I love you.' the moment the soft behind sat obligingly in his palm.

His heart sped up, _was it the gift for him to thank him for that ten minutes of time? _

Cagalli was unable to look him in the eye, her eyes were red-rimmed and she had cried them raw. She seemed to blush a little too. Albert found his throat dry, he swallowed, looking at her for an explanation.

"I know my request may have made things difficult for you, but thank you, even if it is just five minutes, at least I know that he's alive. I have another favour to ask, if…I can't stay with him, at least give him this. Let Athrun know that with all my heart, I wish to stay by his side. And if I could choose, I will never leave him again." She whispered softly.

Albert only nodded wordlessly, jealous and inwardly beating himself up for his unrealistic expectations, he had flown to heaven and fallen back to earth with a thud all in that two minutes. When she opened her mouth again, she asked, "Erm, can I come bac…?"

She never got to finish, he was tired of this, it was Athrun this, Athrun that. He found himself asking harshly, then regretting it immediately. "What exactly are you asking?"

Cagalli widened her eyes, then apologized in a soft voice.

"I am sorry to have…overstayed my welcome…" She bit her lip and gazed into his eyes. "Can…can I at least call to check on him every now and then?"

He nodded absentmindedly, his heart burning with jealousy. "Yeah...of course. Whatever…"

"Thank you." She gushed.

"Hey." He called as she was about to leave. He just thought about his conversation with Athrun, and the question he had refused to answer, he was hoping Cagalli would answer him.

"Yes?"

"Will Athrun die for you?" He asked.

Cagalli widened her eyes, "Huh?"

He repeated the question, "Answer me, do you think Athrun will die for you?"

Cagalli shook her head, hesitating for a little while. "You are asking a question in theory; a supposition. But I can only answer in past tense…"

She looked into his eyes, sorrow so plain in them. "He did. He bit a bullet for me when we were 17."

"Oh…" Albert muttered, he had noticed the scars on Athrun's chest before, he had thought they were normal as Athrun was a soldier. In the Council, most members started out as grassroots leaders, few from Zaft ever become Supreme Councilors, Athrun was the second Chairman who came from the military branch.

"But…Albert, that wasn't the main reason why I chose to marry him."

"Huh? Then what is it?" Albert questioned in spite of himself. "I always thought all girls would want a knight in shining armor to save them from some great evil and sweep them off their feet into a happily ever after. Or die trying…"

Cagalli shook her head, "That is why that kind of love only exist in fairy tales, it's too heavy a burden… How can anyone live with that kind of a sacrifice?"

Albert nodded, sensing Cagalli's true resentment, "So why did you marry Athrun?"

She beamed. Albert suddenly felt small in contrast to the enormity and unfathomable wisdom behind the gesture, he did not fully comprehend it, but at that point he conceded defeat. _He knew nothing could tear these two apart, their love was true..._

"Because…he was willing to live for me." She whispered...

Albert considered the statement, then bit his lip. "Come, you can give it to him yourself." Albert managed to say as he dropped the teddy back in her palms, and led her back into the ward to deliver the gift, and he noticed the change immediately. He approached the bed with two quick steps just to make sure, his eyes sweeping over the readings on the instruments.

"My, my…" He said to himself in amazement.

There seemed to be a little more colour on Athrun's countenance, even if he was still unconscious, it seemed as though he was simply sleeping, and would wake up any moment. Albert consulted the monitors next, realizing that some of his vitals have stabilized, they could perhaps lift the sedation earlier than planned. It bode well.

_Just half an hour ago, Albert did not believe in love, in infatuations, in miracles. But now he was forced to swallow it all, and it was too much, even for him who was taken to open-mindedness and has a knack of accepting all things weird. But he was convinced, as numbers simply do not lie… _

_Neither does the heart..._

Cagalli gazed tenderly at her husband, and tuck the bear in gently; right beside Athrun's head such that the little bear looked like it was trying to snuggle. It looked warm and cozy and contented as it laid there beside Athrun…

Albert poked the bear in dissatisfaction when he really wanted to poke Athrun.

"You lucky dog."

Cagalli widened her eyes at him, worried and amused, "Why?"

"Nothing. Hmm, you stay here for a bit, let me make a phone call.

She nodded, she was more than happy to oblige.

Albert stepped away from earshot and sighed, gazing at his phone. He sighed one last time as resolution set in, and he dialed.

"Yzak speaking." The person over at the other line snapped, the added coldly. "I see you haven't cancelled this %$# line."

"I don't need to any more, I made friends with the witnesses." He said gleefully, and before Yzak could scold him, he pressed on. "And hey, I want to suggest something that will help Athrun to recover."

"What have you not done…?" Yzak questioned suspiciously.

"Some faith, please." He scoffed, then quickly said. "Can I let Yula Athha come back everyday? She did more good with ten minutes of hand-holding than any magic potion in the world."

"Come back…?! Let me get this straight, you used Athrun as a bribe to make friends with the witnesses?" Yzak asked incredulously, and Albert knew his colleague had taken special effort not to shout already.

"Ah…Yep." Albert could imagine Yzak pinching the bridge of his nose in his best efforts not to blow up.

"One minute, Albert Canberry. Convince me."

"First and for most, Athrun had fulfilled his end of the bargain, the bone marrow cultures are flourishing like a garden in spring...And…!"

At this moment Albert stopped talking and almost dropped his phone, he noticed movement from Athrun to his left, his body seemed to be enshrouded with a soft, warm glow that faded as quickly as it came that it left Albert momentarily wondering if he had imagined it.

"It's happening again...!" Cagalli said in a rushed whisper, and leaned forward as she touched Athrun's cheek. "Athrun...?"

A miracle happened, Athrun stirred, and after a few moments, he opened his eyes briefly. He did nothing, only gazed listlessly at the nearest thing, which is the Teddy bear sitting near the side of his face. He seemed to decide that he liked it well enough, for he huddled closer to the soft, cuddly thing and slipped back into dreamland…

"Albert…?" Yzak snapped. "What's going…?!"

Cagalli was smiling and crying at the same time, "Athrun...Athrun."

"He just woke up." Albert muttered in amazement, cutting Yzak off.

Yzak seemed to almost have lost grip of his phone as well, there were a few mysterious clinks and clangs, then when Yzak managed to recover his composure and his phone, he simply said, "I'm on my way."

"Wait…about Cagalli…!" Albert pressed.

"She can visit everyday, heck, every hour if she wants…" Yzak said.

ooo

This is chapter 29, it will end at either chapter 30 0r 31. The two of them managed to find each other after so long and so much hardship. The next chapter will depict the long-awaiting reunion scene and explain more things, this chapter is written in a very narrow way as both of them are kept in the dark, so far, its the most un-Gundam chapter.

art/Come-with-me-335261895

This is the link to the fanart drawn for this chapter. Do go have a look.

Thank you for the support and reviews!

Till chapter next

Ming


	30. Chapter 30: Broken world

Chapter 30: Broken world

"_I love you." ~Cagalli Yula Athha_

ooo

Athrun awoke to himself coughing, and he vaguely felt as if his throat had been scrubbed with a metal brush. Someone called his name a few times in a row, patting his shoulder repeatedly.

"Come on, open your eyes."

He obeyed the instruction. His eyelids were like lead, and he cracked them open with effort.

Wrong move, for bright light suddenly assaulted his vision, and a blinding headache ensued. He protested to the best of his ability, but it was as usual, in vain. He was too weak to fight the person persistently holding his eyelids open.

"Sit up. Breathe, deeply if you can. You doing good." Athrun felt impatient arms around him, helping him to sit upright, he coughed some more. He felt pillows being arranged behind him, and he was allowed to lean on them.

"…Al…bert…?" He rasped weakly.

"Yep, come. Wake up, talk to me." Albert appeared to be distracted by something for a while, and muttered to himself. "…Good, good, maintaining stable oxygenation profiles..."

Then he patted the side of Athrun's face, he could smell those icky, sterile, rubber gloves.

"Come on, look at me for a while and answer me this one question, why does the chicken cross the road?"

Athrun opened his eyes a little more, and his friend's face came into focus, Albert was once again in scrubs, only his eyes were visible through the getup, those eyes had red tendrils creeping towards the pupil.

Athrun did not reply, first as he was still too groggy to think, second was that the question seemed too stupid to warrant an answer...

"Answer it." Albert pressed.

"…Coz the hen is on the other side…?" He droned, he could do no better, his head was reeling with the effort.

"Lucid and able to form complete sentences, check." Said a voice beside, she sounded like the nurse clinician, a motherly middle-aged woman with startling brown eyes. She's the one who had been entertaining Athrun with jokes during procedures and visits him at night to ask if he needs anything.

"Sister Jenny, tick the 'Capable of basic humour appreciation' box too, please."

_Athrun thought it wasn't funny, but never mind, he just wanted to sleep. He was weak and drowsy for some reason he could not remember..._

"Check." Reported Jenny. "Doctor Albert, things seem fine, so excuse me while I need to get rid of the guest at the triage, Patricia is losing it." She rolled her eyes, "It's the fourth one who tried to barge in today..."

"Who…?" Athrun asked.

"Nobody." Albert replied curtly, he looked angry about something, then added. "…Nobody that you will care to meet anyway. Just a couple of despo's."

"Call me if you need me." Jenny offered as she left the room.

"Yes, thanks. Well Athrun, don't sleep now, I need you to eat something..." Albert poked his shoulder childishly.

"I'm not hungry…" He wondered who it was who was trying to see him.

"Don't speak so fast. Isn't there a certain someone you wanted to see? She came. And you probably have a lot to accomplish before she comes again."

With that Athrun opened his eyes, he looked into Albert's eyes.

"Who...?" Athrun muttered shakily, feeling the dry, harsh voice emerge from his unused vocal cords.

"Who else?" Albert asked in return, a small smile on his face.

_He could not reply, it seemed unlikely that Cagalli would initiate looking for him, but he wanted to believe. He felt happy and sad at the same time, the irony was that he wanted to see her, but did not want her to see him; not in this sorry state… _

_One hand combed subconsciously through his sideburns and fingered the tubings, he was sure he was a mess. _

Albert waved his hand -and aesthetic concerns- off, berating, "Don't touch anything. You look fine, just a bit on the ragged side, nothing a good shave wouldn't solve…She even left you a nice souvenir." Albert then indicated something to his left, Athrun followed his finger eagerly to find a teddy that was dislodged from the covers by Athrun's moving about.

_He was never taken to cute things and for a moment he wondered if Albert was lying to console him. But for some reason, when he saw the soft toy he felt a gush of affection and had an unexplainable urge to hold the fluffy animal to his chest and hug it for a few hours; or until she arrives. But he did not do it, for it was hardly manly…_

Still, his hand reached to touch the soft and fluffy fabric longingly, feeling the fibers of silky fur sift through his fingers. He gasped softly as he realized that he could not recognize his own hand, it was so bony and shaky…

Albert misunderstood his withdrawal. "Oh…You don't like it? Hmm, probably true. That woman must be mad to buy you this." Albert commented, Athrun wanted to protest as he took the little toy from the blankets. "Since you don't want it, I guess I'll throw it away. After all, furry things harbour so much bacteria..."

"Albert..." He implored weakly, "Wait..."

Albert looked back, "Hmm? But it is a source of bacterial contamination, it's danger to you..."

"But…it's…You can seal it in a Ziploc, just..." Athrun suggested. With that he tried to reclaimed the toy, but Albert fished it out of his reach at the last moment. It was then he realized that his friend was merely joking around.

Albert laughed as he pressed the bear against his cheek and declared in a chipmunk voice. "Smooch. I luv you, Athrun. Do you luv me too?"

Embarrassed and mortified, Athrun did not reply. Albert seemed to have had enough fun, and made a bargain, he pushed the bowl of porridge towards Athrun. "Come on, eat. Or the Teddy here will be mine for a year."

Athrun gazed at his friend ruefully, wondering if any other doctor in the world would be childish enough to take a Teddy bear hostage, then looked at the porridge.

_Truth to be told, he felt more like puking than eating at the moment, and it was painful to swallow. But if what Albert told him were true, and the Teddy bear was truly Cagalli's gift, he must persevere. _

He tried his best, and managed to down a grand total of one mouthful of the lukewarm gruel.

_It was not that bad, though bland, at least the rice was fragrant and left a tinge of a sweet aftertaste in his mouth. He had almost forgotten what food tastes like…_

Albert looked at him in a satisfied and almost proud manner, pressing the bear gently into his hands. "All yours. Just admit you like it, and eat more if you can, please." Albert laughed. "Don't worry about the cooties, we had it autoclaved."

Athrun nodded, it sat warm and cuddly in his lap. He pitied the bear-to have to be cooked before it could reach his side. He wondered why is it dangerous, he wondered how long had passed since he last woke up.

Albert took up the explanation without him asking, as if knowing that he still in a state when he could not really talk much. "I am, from this point forth, authorized to give you information, so please listen. Yula Athha came yesterday and sat with you for 10 minutes, she was crying the whole time…She's gone home to rest."

_That seemed unlikely too…For a moment doubt rose in his heart, wondering if Albert was just trying to placate him. He had fallen once into a trap because he was too gullible… _

"You should not feel any pain, but while you were in coma we went ahead with the bone marrow extraction. The quantity collected has to be sufficient for the biochemical department to reproduce the antibody in large amounts, good for them, not so good for you. Your long bones are brittle and nearly devoid of marrow, so you need to stay in this bubble for the next week or so and wait for your natural immunity to return. You were out for a good three days, the first day was the worst…Oh yea, we will remove the sutures on your neck later."

_Athrun nodded at that not too enthusiastically, waiting, he wanted to hear more about the outside world, not about himself… _

"Our colleagues are dropping by later today, uncle Yulie and uncle Frank are coming maybe tonight or tomorrow. Cagalli is coming with Sir Yamato and Miss Clyne tomorrow morning..."

Athrun muttered sarcastically. "Really…" , he did not buy that. He was somehow convinced by now that Albert was lying.

He bit his lip, upset.

_T__hrough the last few weeks, no one came for him…He was alone in the courtroom, alone in jail, and isolated in the medical facility and confined to the four walls of the ward.__ He had been left alone to fend for himself for far too long a__nd he was convinced that no one will care enough to come…not Cagalli, not his colleagues, not Kira and Lacus…_

He was about to protest when an intense itch started flaring from the back of his throat. He began to cough, it was a dry, hacking cough that quickly progressed to be violent.

"Hey, easy." Albert was alert instantly. And he started to pat Athrun on the back, "Cough it out." He encouraged.

Athrun could not help it, he coughed till he was giddy and disoriented and his ribs sore, then quite suddenly something thick and ferrous rode up his airway. He swallowed hard to prevent himself from vomiting, but cough out the bloodied sputum.

Albert pressed a stack of hand-wipe tissues into his hand, "Spit it out, come on..."

"Sorry..." He muttered, nauseated by the taste and smell of blood.

"Don't be. This is normal, it might go on for a few days, your lungs are still trying to clear the damage. You're going to be fine."

Athrun nodded grimly, he felt like he might die as he wiped the last of the blood from his lips. With aid, he curled up and laid back down slowly; exhausted against the pillows. His limbs felt like lead and his eyelids were heavy, the throbbing pain in his chest lessened a little.

He felt a worried hand on his shoulder. "Rest."

"Albert..." He managed to gasp.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Don't lie to me…" He asked.

He could sense Albert holding his breath.

It was the last thing he heard before there seemed to be a sound of someone crashing through the door.

"What the hell!?" Albert yelled, and Athrun heard more shouting, but his senses could not discern the myriad of voices coming closer and closer, the pain and tiredness was consuming his senses. There was the sound of breaking china and pain flared across his arm, there seemed to be a lot of people. Someone was shouting angrily.

Though he was afraid, but could do no better than to sink deeper and deeper into unconsciousness.…

_He was defenseless either ways…he was alone and the world was his enemy. _

_As he slept, he dreamed. _

_He was lost._

_He saw Kira walking away from him._

"_Kira…?' Athrun asked gingerly._

_Kira did not looked back, never paused. Just walked on straight ahead along the corridors of the ship as if he did not know he was there. It was the time immediately after Lacus was taken. _

"_Kira?" Athrun jogged up to him and caught him by the shoulder. When Kira turned to look at him, he got a fright. _

_Kira glared at him, and muttered coldly, "Don't touch me. If anything happens to Lacus it's all your fault!"_

_He unhanded Kira involuntarily, there was truth in his accusation. And Kira walked on. _

_Then he saw Cagalli, and Athrun recognized it was the moment when Cagalli was about to leave him on the meadow. He shook his head in despair…he did not want to see her walk away from him, not once, no again…_

"_I need to leave…" She said._

"_I know." He responded dryly._

"_I need to go back to Leonidas, I'm carrying his baby."_

"_I know…But Cagalli…He doesn't love you!" he objected._

"_Neither do you." She remarked swiftly, he could only shake his head, "That's not true…I…" _

_She looked him in the eye. _

"_If you love me, tell me…Where were you when I needed you most?"_

_Those words stabbed him like a thousand daggers. He held his tongue, swallowing hard._

_No…_

_Leonidas walked up to her from behind, putting his hands on her waist, and Athrun resisted the urge to break those slimy fingers. But in front of him, they kissed, he felt his heart wrenching. Then, they linked arms and walked off. _

_The pair of twins stood beside him, only reaching his waist. Then the little boy screamed, kicked his ankle and shouted, "Moron! I hate you!" Athrun only stood transfixed as the child starting crying, and ran off. The little girl lingered, gazing at him with large green eyes. Her expression was so sad that it broke his heart to watch her, and he averted his gaze. _

_Then he was alone. _

_For some reason he was afraid, and he started to run, not knowing what he was running from; or even where he was running to. He only knew that something terrible was hunting him, something was trying to destroy him. He continued sprinting forward desperately, his bare feet skimming the surface of the dark waters ._

_Eventually he ran till he could run no more, and exhaustion forced him to stop, his knees gave and he collapse in the middle of nowhere. His panic was claiming him, the monster was catching up. He called out, but there was no help to be found, it remained indefinitely quiet as he tried to force himself upright, he needed to get away. But in that instant he was caught and consumed by pain, it originated from the middle of his chest as a tightening sensation, then swiftly and mercilessly spread to invade his body. He crumpled and curled up in agony, unable to breathe…It was a familiar sensation, it was one that spoke of sickness that was unto death. He could remember it all too well, the hours spent dying, anxious to complete what he had left to do, unable to do more than wait. _

_Suddenly the ugly prison cell materialized around him. Angry men and cruel faces surrounded him, blows were delivered ruthlessly. He curled up further, begging for release, hoping for mercy when there was none to be found. Terrible pain started as burns bloomed across his limps, like malignant flowers. Then someone grabbed his wrists violently and dragged him upright, he recognized the man, it was G. In vain, he tried to tear away. It was upmost humiliation to be treated as such. He knew what it was the suffer hunger and thirst, he would also know what it was to be betrayed and trampled on by men… _

"_No…! Let go of me!"He protested. _

_Then suddenly there were a lot more people around him. He gasped as he realized that they were not just people, they are those he had known. Light approached him, a sword keen in his hand. _

_"Light..." Athrun whispered._

_Light did not smile. Athrun simply stood still as Light drew back the edge, his intent plain…_

_With one quick and merciless stroke Light impaled him. _

_"You killed me." The other man whispered into his ear as he pushed the blade deeper into his body._

_Athrun only nodded in agreement as blood flowed down his abdomen and leg, pain flaring from the fresh wound somewhere on his chest. There was so much pain that he no longer knew where he was stabbed, but he did not resist, he did not and could not fight back. It was eye for eye, tooth for tooth, he deserved it. _

_"I'm sorry..." He uttered, and coughed blood. If it would somehow lessen the magnitude of his sins, he will atone in any way he can, even if it meant dying… _

_Another dagger bore suddenly into his flesh, this time from behind. Athrun bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out, and he turned as far as he could to see Heine beside him, hatred on his face. _

_"You killed me." The other man declared. _

_Athrun only nodded miserably to his friend._

_Next was Belle, Tolle and Patrick Zala, beyond that were knives and guns and faces that he could no longer recognize, there were too many, they surrounded him and took their turns at revenge, but they preached a common message that he could only acknowledge... _

_Murderer._

_Pain consumed him, he could no longer feel his legs; but was held forcibly upright by the myriad of weapons pierced into his sides. He could no longer make a single sound, but he tried to communicate to the best of his ability and lifespan…_

_Sorry…_

_Last, he saw a lady approach him, the mass of humans parted for her. He could no longer see clearly, but her short blue hair and gentle features was enough for him to recognize her. His breath got caught in his throat._

_His mother stood looking at him, an unnatural stillness in her gaze. _

"_You killed me."_

_He only nodded faintly, tears and blood running down his face as excruciating pain wretched through his body. He conveyed his apology in the only way he could, he gazed back at her and mouth those words one last time._

_I'm sorry… _

_Then he died..._

_Ooo_

It was nightfall.

"It's no good." Jenny whispered worriedly as Patricia delicately dabbed at the perspiration that ran down Athrun's face, he coughed grievously again and clutched his chest with the effort, which made Jenny sigh in vexation. She examined the dressings that came away, and cursed the wounds.

_This morning, the paparazzi somehow managed to bulldozed past the barricade of nurses and clambered into the ward, the bunch of those idiots don't know what damage they have done with their annoying cameras and rabble and germs. In the chaos, a pair of flying surgical scissors singed past Athrun's arm, leaving a flesh wound that took three hours to stop bleeding. Dr Albert summoned security, who got there within minutes to contain the situation. But the damage was done, sterility was broken, and at this phase a common cold can kill Athrun. His blood cell counts have diminished to abysmal states and is dipping further._

_Those people will never find a job in the news industry ever again, which Jenny considered merciful for what they have done. _But beyond that, Athrun developed a fever and slipped back into a semi-conscious state, which could be fatal, depending on what is the cause. He was becoming colder and though slowly, his blood pressure was falling steadily.

She sighed.

_Generally, she was not like that, she has been in the field long enough to know not to get emotionally involved with any of her charges. But from day one of the project, she noticed that sometimes Athrun sleep-talked, and would call out the name of a certain girl. When she found out this girl, this Cagalli, was his lover-and possibly his wife-the feminist in her gave a tick on the report book and she told herself to marry this guy if she was twenty years younger. _

_Athrun was simply lucky that this prerequisite will never materialize. But she could still pamper him a little more. Even though they were instructed not to speak to him unless out of absolute necessity, Albert waltzed in when the others are not looking to chat with his friend, or bring books and old game consoles and compare battle scores. She followed suite in different ways, she could do things like adding mango pudding to the kitchen's menu._

"Those damn paparazzi don't know their limits….He won't make it…" Jenny noted grimly.

Pactricia nodded, her annoyance has not faded either. "Should we wake Dr Canberry…?"

Jenny shook her head. "No…Albert's been so angry and worried and guilty and busy he hasn't had a wink in 48 hours straight. Let the poor fellow sleep for now…" Jenny sighed. "If only there's not so much P&P and secrecy we can grab another doctor to help have a quick look."

"I guess there is no help for it." Patricia replied, "Sister…to be honest…may I ask…what's the point?"

Jenny looked up at the younger staff nurse, "What are you saying?"

Patricia held her gaze, taking a deep breath, "He's a good man…But he's also a dead man. They issued a court summon the moment he woke up…It's as if the moment he outlived his usefulness to the country he should hurry along to the gallows…"

Jenny pursed her lips. "You're right…and…."

At this point Athrun coughed again, and stirred restlessly, prespiration running down his face. Both nurses held their breaths.

He pleaded piteously, "No...don't leave..."

"... Please..."

Jenny let out the breath and sighed.

"...There's only so much disappointment and grief one's heart can take." She whispered, patting him on the head as tears ran down the side of his face. "When there is no hope…or when one no longer believes in it, the heart dies. When the heart dies…the body will too…"

"There is a possible solution." Patricia said quietly. "But we will likely get in trouble."

Jenny smiled crookedly, "I know."

ooo

_He opened his eyes in a new world._

_It was beautiful, around him, birds sang cheerfully. Flowers of every shade and colour imaginable blossomed across the valley, the wind bringing their rich scents along with it. The sun shone through the clouds, bathing the land in its kindness and warmth. For some reason, there were tears in his eyes, and the overflowed and dripped into the water, distorting his reflection for but a moment or two until the ripples died away. _

_"Who are you?" He questioned the boy in the water, who mouthed the same words back to him simultaneously. _

_He observed the appearance of his reflection, he appeared to be about ten, his midnight blue hair was combed and neat-looking, his uniform was also carefully pressed. Still, there was something strange about his appearance that he could not put a finger to. The figure in the reflection was just…too short, his face too smooth and his eyes too large and happy, as if the world was worth looking at. _

_As for him, he just felt tired and heartsick, as if he had been through unimaginable amounts of suffering that he mercifully had no recollection of. He also had an impression that he had left something really important behind, but he could not remember what it was either._

_"Athrun."_

_"Mother..."_

_Lenore Zala was smiling angelically as she laid her hands on his shoulders, her hands were velvety and soft._

_"You're here..." She whispered wistfully._

_"Where...?" He questioned._

_"Here." She repeated, "...With me." _

_She gazed gently into his eyes at this point and said. "A place where no one will hurt you, a place where there will be no more tears, no more sadness, no more pain..." She touched his face and her smile turned sorrowful._

_"A place of rest."_

_It all sounded so welcoming that his first instinct was to jump up and down and say 'Yes!', but somehow he knew that the moment he agreed to stay, there will be no return..._

_Someone called his name._

_The voice was so tiny it was almost inaudible, it sounded like a girl, and she was weeping._

_"Athrun...?"_

_He turned back to face his mother guiltily, it seemed that all she wanted for him was the best, but he knew something was amiss._

_"Why are you hesitating...?" She asked, "You're just my little boy, of course I'll take care of you." She patted him on the head encouragingly, there was such sincerity and love in her tone that he wanted to ignore all else and follow her. But he found that he could not move..._

_"Mother...I..."_

_"Don't you want to come with me?"_

_"I...I do, but..."_

_"Athrun…You don't have to fight anymore...I don't wish for it…" She took his little hands, cradling them in hers. "These hands are not for killing…"_

_He felt a gush of sorrow at those words, and could only widen his eyes as tears pooled in them, he did not know where the emotions were pouring out from. His heart had been ravaged, and is now but an empty shell. Her hands cupped his small, round face. Athrun could feel the familiar warmth from her hands, and he began to cry, those were indeed her hands. He wondered if she could ever forgive him, it was his silly request that had killed her. "Mother I…!" He sobbed piteously. _

"_Hush, don't cry, I don't blame you. I can only blame myself for loving you."_

"_But I…You…are not angry with me?" He stammered, catching his breath through his sobs. _

_She shook her head. "Everything's alright now. No one will ever hurt you..." She then wiped his tears away gently and pulled him into an embrace, and he annealed his face against her neck. The force that pulled at him diminished, and went silent altogether as he hugged his mother back._

_Ooo_

Cagalli swallowed to moisten her throat as she approached Glenhawk's. Sister Jenny had called her at midnight and said only one word, "Come."

The middle-aged woman was not smiling as she waited her at the triage, apparently Athrun had been transferred to the ward upstairs as way too many people from the press have tried to barge in, though breaking in seems the more accurate description. They tried all means and ways to find out who the carrier of the X21 antibody was and they succeeded, unflattering pictures of him spread like wildfire through almost every media station. In one afternoon, the world knew who Athrun Zala was. Beyond that they continued following his progress like a bunch of lice, or more accurately, leeches.

Beyond that, Cagalli could only remember following Sister Jenny like a lost puppy and vaguely hear her coaching her on the steps of the proper hand-washing technique and how to put on scrubs. She obeyed the instruction to the letter...just wanting to get it done and over with so she could meet him.

_For some reason, she was glad and nervous at the same time. She wanted to see him, but did he want to see her? Their last meeting had been one where she had conveniently told him that she would betray him…_

The first thing she heard was a weak cough as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The suite was a cavernous room well-equipped for entertainment. It had a television, gaming consoles and what she suspected was a Jacuzzi in the joined bathroom. Basically, it looked every bit like the president suite in a six-star hotel. There was a queen-sized bed at the far side of the room, and lying on the bed was the very subject that she had come to visit.

She approached quietly, pursing her lips as she took in his pale countenance. He lay beneath the woolen blankets, asleep, huddling with the rather contented-looking teddy bear on his chest. Cagalli smiled, grateful that they had transferred the little gift along with the owner. She knew that as a proper prisoner, Athrun will not be allowed to retain any personal belongings, be it a knife or a toy, she was once again aware that Albert had probably pulled strings for her, and she thanked him silently.

Jenny walked to her, "Let me say first, he woke up briefly yesterday and has been sleeping since the media dogs…I apologize. Honoured members of the press came to visit…He's developed a fever since, and that's very dangerous…"

Cagalli only nodded at Sister Jenny's hesitation.

"I'm not certain…but…his condition may be taking a turn for the worse…We called you, just in case you needed to say goodbye."

She nodded, her heart had fallen to her feet.

Jenny looked like he wanted to say something else, be decided against it at the last minute and slowly she came to Cagalli and pressed something into her hand. She gasped as she felt the coolness of the metal, it was a pair of wedding rings; _their weddings rings_ linked by the pendant's chain. Before she had the chance to thank Jenny, she left without another word.

When Cagalli was left alone, she took a seat beside her husband gingerly. "Athrun...?", her voice was shaking uncharacteristically.

For a few heart-stopping moments, nothing happened. There was no response from him. She touched his face tenderly, a little afraid to disturb him.

His skin was smooth and dry, but a little warm to the touch.

For some reason, she smiled sorrowfully, just gazing at him in his sleep.

He was not awake just yet, but she was heartened that at least he is recovering from the terrible ordeal. She traced the veins at the back his hand, delicately avoiding the needle, and noticed how purplish his nails appeared unlike her own pink, healthy ones.

Absentmindedly, she massaged his fingers, trying to improve the circulation, then as she flipped his hand over, she saw the nail marks on his palms and wondered what could he have gone through to leave such deep wedges there. She touched those wedges gingerly.

"I'm not gonna lose you this time…" She declared, whispering into his ear. "I'm not gonna leave till they let you come with me. Wake up, please…please." She bit her lip, took his hands and cried a little. She would wait, she will stay by him as long as it takes him to forgive her…

A streak of tears made its way daintily down the side of Athrun's face, and she wondered if he was having a bad dream. She touched his face, "Athrun…It's alright, I'm here, I'll protect you…"

She drew a breath. "…Don't leave me."

_Ooo_

_Athrun looked up._

_"Mother…I...think..." He muttered, "I think I have something to do..." He bit his lip as he pulled away._

_"Someone is waiting for me."_

_"Who?" _

_To his ears it sounded like a challenge, and he cried in distraught, "I don't know...!"_

_Her grip tightened possessively around him, in a soft, poisonous voice she questioned._

_"You don't love mommy anymore...?"_

_"I do...!" he exclaimed, tears fell and he wiped at them hastily with his small hands. "I love you, mother. But...I can't go with you." He took a step back, withdrawing from his mother's embrace, it felt like he was tearing a part of himself out. "I can't remember…but I know I can't." He declared, more to himself than anyone else. _

_"Athrun...! Come back here!" She snapped. Her face was twisted by anger, and she looked like a different person._

_Suddenly he remembered, he recognized her voice. And he found a little teddy bear in his palms, held close to his heart. Suddenly it hurt._

_"Cagalli...!" He exclaimed._

_"Who's that...?" Lenore Zala questioned._

_"My...my wife..." He stammered at the revelation, and he smiled bitterly, remembering his childish declaration those years ago. "Mother, I have to eat my own words, I actually married a girl."_

_"What are you talking about? You're just a child...!" She gave a maniacal smile, coaxing him. "Athrun…Come back here…"_

_"A child no more..." He said quietly, and he took an additional step back, his hand tightening around the little bear. His mother seemed to diminish in size as he distanced himself, and he realized that he had grown taller._

_Ribbons of old flesh peeled away from his form, like ropes from their moorings. Even when his thoughts were formed, they were stripped away like bark in a tornado, they drifted out of his reach. His perception splintered, and fear was sudden and momentary as his soul shattered like crystal-and became insubstantial. He reached forward, trying to reclaim pieces of his fragmented being, he was nothing, so immaterial that nothing spoke of his passing as he fell..._

_Without eyes, he saw his mother's outstretched arms, calling him into an eternal, final embrace. And somehow he knew that was his last chance at salvation, he was dying, and without an anchor, he would be forbidden on either sides of the plane and be destroyed._

_At that moment, even though he was afraid, he whispered in a voice only known to himself._

_"No..."_

_The flame mocked at his rebellion, licking at what was left of his soul self that drifted._

_"I'm not alone..."_

_It hurts..._

_Pain intensified, and escalated. But in the agony he turned to his mother and gazed at her. He did not beg or ask anything of her, only wanted to thank her for coming to fetch him… _

_Lenore Zala dissolved, and in replacement a black specter appeared. It was then that the hooded figure stepped forward, and cupped what was left of his spirit; collecting every speck until he was wholesome again, just like that._

"_Ah…Thanks…" He said tentatively, it was the same ghost-like creature which had granted him strength in his darkest days. "You are Hyperion…"_

"_Do not use my name in vain!" It bellowed. And Athrun withdrew, wondering why it was angry._

_With a black-gloved hand, the creature pulled back its hood, and Athrun gasped, it was the first time he saw the creature's appearance. _

_He was gazing at a replica of his own face, but its eyes were crimson and looking every bit livid. Cracks started appearing on its terrible face, and little pieces fell off, clinking like crystals. _

"_I don't understand…human, you are kind to all you meet, but gained nothing in return...You will be destroyed and disappointed by those unworthy creatures you hold dear."_

"_You're wrong." He replied._

_It gave a cocky smile as it pointed on hand at him, and that hand shattered."I'm never wrong. One day you will lose yourself to power, one day this body will be mine…"_

"_Too bad, today is not the day." He replied simply. "I need to go back." He declared resolutely. _

_"You'll be hurt." The creature pointed out._

_"I know."_

_"You'll cry."_

_"Maybe."_

_The unearthly smile widened by a fraction, by then most of its being is gone."Go back to hell." _

_Athrun only nodded. "Thank you…" _

Ooo

Dawn had broken.

_Cagalli..._

She gasped softly, his voice was feeble, but she knew she did not hear wrongly when he whispered her name. "Athrun? I'm here, come on…come back to me."

She noticed as his hold tightened over the Teddy, the soft toy yielded gently.

Then he stirred, coughed a little, and after a few more moments, lethargically opened his eyes.

Cagalli felt such relief wash over her at that moment, and tears came unbidden. She covered her sob with her hands, and moisture ran down her face and fingers.

He studied her listlessly for a moment or two, then very slowly, raised a hand and drained her tears with his pinky. His actions were jagged and awkward, much like a drunkard man, and his hand was cold. Cagalli held on to his hand dearly and rubbed his palms, trying to impart some warmth into them.

"Please don't cry..." He whispered in a dreamy voice, "I'm alright..."

_De javu._

It seemed that 'I'm fine' and 'I'm alright' were his status quo, not matter what just happened, he will say it even if he almost died. And Cagalli gave in to a small, tight-lipped smile, she was not about to argue with him.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't there for you when you needed me…I didn't manage to protect you…" He stammered, looking sorry enough to melt her heart.

"Don't say that, don't." She shook her head, pressing a finger to his lips. "Please."

Then she hugged him and held on to him.

She was afraid to touch him, even more afraid to let go…

"I'm here. I'll never leave you again…" She declared tearfully.

She could feel him holding his breath, then slowly, his arm reached to hold her back. He held her for a few moments. It was only after a while that he widened his eyes in a more clear-headed manner. Clearly, he was unable to believe that she was right there beside him. He stared at her unblinkingly for a few moments, as if daring for her to disappear.

She only watched and waited, she touched his face tenderly, wanting him to feel the warmth from her hands and know that she is real…

"...I'm not dreaming?" He questioned with disbelief after a few moments, his voice cracked and his eyes turned watery.

"When I wake up… are you going to be gone…?"

She gave a grin, biting back her tears. "Yes, Athrun…this must be a dream, and when you and I wake up." She paused, grazing his cheek. "…all you are going to remember is a particularly hard smack I am about to give you…"

Athrun only tried to smile a little when it seemed that he really could not, he looked tired but handsome. He whispered. "Goddess, I am yours. Do to me as you will..."

"Alas, a naughty but repentant one… I have just the right thing for likes of such..." She declared as she drew closer to him, and nudged his cheek with her nose. Then quite suddenly, he wrapped himself urgently around her, dragging her onto the soft sheets and holding her; and it seemed for a few minutes that he was never going to let go. His tears fell onto her face, mingling with hers. She held him back and annealed to his chin and neck, it was Athrun, her heart and her soul and her strength.

Then after a while she pulled away a little and looked into his green eyes and declared resolutely. "It's me, it's really me. I'm here…"

"Don't go." He closed his eyes and pleaded as he pulled her closer, his arms tightening around her waist.

"I'm not going anywhere." She assured him as she held him back.

_He was behaving like a spooked child and she understood why. He had chosen the cup of pain and misery out of his own free will. _

"It's alright…I'm gonna stay here, with you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Really…?" He whispered shakily, "You won't leave…?"

"I'll never leave you..." She promised, "We'll stick to each other like a pair of Siamese twins…"

That provoked a laugh, and Cagalli was heartened by the sound even as he coughed a little.

"I'll stay with you, so you are not alone anymore…" She declared.

It was a few moments before he nodded gratefully, then when he finally felt it was safe enough to let go of her, he released her cautiously and seemed to take a look around for the first time since he awoke. They lay side by side on the bed for a little while, neither of them speaking.

Athrun broke the silence. "…Cagalli…Where are we?"

She took his hand, and fingered his wrist tag which said 'If found, please return to Glenhawk medical.' She then pointed at the white tag, twirling it with her finger and declared. "I think they should say 'Return to Orb residential palace.', preferably right to the acting Matriarch's bedroom."

Cagalli's heart fluttered with delight as she got the desired result, which was the tip of his ears turning pink.

He frowned a little as he gazed at her. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

She nodded, "More or less, is it working?"

"Perfectly." He replied gingerly, he sighed as he turned to her a little, fingering her shortened hair in a flirty manner. "Just that...it's so unlike you..."

It was then she chose to strike, and she whacked him soundly on the shoulder.

"Ow, what was that for?" He grumbled.

"Fulfiling my vow to a pilgrim."

He chewed his lip a little as he turned to look at her with a little of a puppy-eyed innocence, Cagalli melted inwardly as he questioned softly.

"…Are you…angry with me?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she suppressed a sigh.

"Of course, I thought you were going to ..." She paused as a wave of pain washed over her heart. But she eventually forced herself to go on with the sentence.

"...To die quietly...without telling me anything."

He made no effort to defend himself against the accusation, there was such guilt in his eyes.

"Sorry..."

She touched his head and began to comb through his soft blue hair.

"What were you thinking…?" She questioned. "How can you be so cruel as to confide in no one, how can you bear to leave me behind…?"

He bit his lip, a mask of anguish on his face.

"I thought… it didn't matter to you whether I lived or died…"

"That's not true…" She rasped, her voice for some reason was caught in her throat.

"I…didn't know how to believe that I will ever meet you again…Cagalli, you have every reason to be rid of me. I was dying…but you have a man who loves you, you have a child to live for…" His eyes gazed fleetingly at her bloated tummy, "And I cannot let Maximillion and Marlene find out, they will be so scared. So I…" He trailed off, and did not look at her. She only wanted to hug him and tell him that she will never love Leonidas.

"To be fair...I don't think you have much of a choice then. Athrun..." She muttered after a while, letting the matter rest. She cupped the side of his face, probing him to look at her, "Were you scared? Were you afraid to…?"

Athrun did not reply, and averted his gaze. He did not speak for a full minute, she remained quiet as well, choosing to respect his silence. He looked insistently towards his chest, and would not meet her gaze. Cagalli could see the pain in his eyes, and knew that he did not want to remember something so terrible.

"Me too..." She whispered eventually. "Me too, I was afraid...I was afraid to lose you..." She muttered, Athrun gazed at her miserably, and his hands came over hers, holding it warm against his face.

"Promise me..." She requested, looking at him in the eye across the pillow as her thumb grazed his cheekbone. "Don't do anything dangerous, at least for now. The kids need you." She paused, feeling his breaths washed over the side of her face in calm waves. She bit her lip, imploring.

"I need you."

Athrun's green eyes widened in wonder, and there was no mistaking his elation.

He looked torn for a moment, but eventually gave a minuscule smile as he nodded.

"I promise."

"…Thank you." She said in an equally quiet manner.

He reached to hook a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers then lingered near the nape of her neck, and his thumb touched the edge of her brow. Then his eyes widened as he realized there were discreet scars on her face and neck, they were from the burns and glass bits, but were healing nicely.

"What…happened…?" He questioned in alarm.

"Nothing." Cagalli took his hand firmly. "I'll be fine. It happened when they burnt down your house. Kira and Lacus are perfectly fine too." She added quickly before he had a chance to ask.

They gazed at each for a while, doing nothing, saying nothing, and just the way he looked at her was enough to cause her heart to hammer blissfully against her breastbone. For the infinite time, she looked at her husband's face and found such tenderness there, he was worrying for her even though he was obviously in a worst state.

_Strange, how she respected and loved and hated this horribly altruistic man all at the same time... _

"What are you thinking about?" He asked softly.

"What are you thinking about?" She returned with her own question, he frowned a little, and she kissed his forehead.

"…I'm wondering…what I can cook to fatten you up." She offered the information for barter.

Athrun beamed, but there was a shadow of unhappiness on his face, he said quietly. "Cagalli…I…have something…"

Then the door swung opened and she quickly got off the bed, straightening her attire. Athrun sat up as far as he could, gazing at the doorway.

It was a man whom neither of them recognized, Cagalli moved in front of him defensively, her instincts told her it was bad news. The man would have to be authorized to gain entry as Athrun was after all, state prisoner, which caused Cagalli unease.

"Greetings, who are you?" Cagalli asked, trying to hide the hostility from her voice. She could feel Athrun's hand in hers, and she squeezed his hand back assuringly.

"Mr Zala…Lady Yula Athha. Do not be alarmed, I am the Public Prosecutor. I have been charged to personally deliver a few items with regards to the hearing in five days time..."

Cagalli was outraged, "Five days?!" She demanded.

_It was preposterous! She did not think Athrun was strong enough to stand, nor was he in any condition to be discharged, how could they place such a demand on him? _

"Cagalli." Athrun gripped her hand, and shook his head. He was more level-headed, he knew killing the messenger will achieve nothing.

_It was as if he was used to being treated unfairly and inhumanely, and that made her even more miffed... _

"Yes, we have taken Mr Zala's injuries into account." Cagalli could feel the grip tighten. "The first hearing will not take long. The items that I was tasked to deliver are with Sister Jenny." He reported, then added with a frown and an afterthought, "She will pass them to you…eventually, but she insists on having them autoclaved first."

Cagalli almost smiled. Imagining Jenny trying to boil confidential documents, but her attention turned back to Athrun, who was probably hiding something from her. He would not look at her, and his face was marble white.

" If there are no other questions I will now take my leave."

The man left.

"Injuries…?" She turned on him and questioned slowly.

Athrun did not look at her, only held on to her hand with both of his. She was alarmed, his hands were coated in cold sweat.

"Athrun…?"

"I…was going to tell you." He whispered, biting his lip. She could not see the expression on his face. Slowly she released his hands and sat down beside him.

"Tell me." She requested.

He gazed at her steadily for a while, and she urged him silently. He eased the blanket aside almost unwillingly so she could examine his legs, she gasped involuntarily as she saw the massive discolored ulcerations on both his calves; they were covered by dressings which were transparent in the middle.

_It were an alarming sight, they were such ugly disfigurements that Cagalli felt her heart skip a beat. She had suffered mostly first degree burns which hurt like crap but were at least clean and won't leave scars, but the wounds on Athrun's legs looked toxic, and the damage deep and irreversible; it were as if they were burnt from inside._

"What happened…?" She demanded.

"The medications used…burn veins and seeps into the surrounding tissues... They told me, that if it doesn't heal…they will have to…to amputate my legs." Athrun stammered, still unable to look her in the eye.

He let out a breath slowly, "I meant to tell you…sorry…"

She did not make a sound, only turned her attention from his legs to his arms, she rolled back his sleeves roughly to reveal similar markings, but looked shallower and less weepy.

She sighed, the rims of Athrun's eyes reddened, it seemed to take all the courage he could muster to look her in the eye, he squeezed out a false smile. He withdrew his hands, his voice was quiet and clearly shaken as he next spoke.

"Cagalli…I…am….already glad…and very grateful that you came to PLANTs…to look for me." He swallowed grimly. "It's okay…I understand…"

"Understand what?" She questioned sharply.

He did not speak, only looked down, as if not daring to hope. He shook his head, and seemingly could not answer her question. She was mysteriously miffed by his withdrawal, and she took his shoulders firmly, prompting him to look at her.

"Athrun." She called, still, he would not meet her gaze, only hid his face further. She then cupped the side of his face, forcing him to look at her as she declared.

"Athrun Zala. You need to get it in your head. I'm not going to leave!" She almost snapped at him, but concealed her anger because he appeared to be so scared.

He gazed at her wearily at that, and she tightened the hold around him, resisting the urge to shake him and hammer the notion into his head. But she told herself to be patient, and gave a small sigh as she collected her thoughts.

"Athrun, listen. When…I heard about the plague…I came searching for you knowing that the sickness may destroy your intellect. I was already prepared then…" She bit her lip.

"…That if I found you too late… and all you'll do is to sit there and drool all day, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

With that, streaks of tears made it way down Athrun's cheek, and he looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and joy. She touched his face gently this time, drying his tears with her thumb.

"But here you are, still able to laugh and cry and touch me and look at me. It's enough, it's fine. I'm gonna stay." Athrun widened his eyes at that, and she shrouded him in an embrace.

"Everything is alright, Athrun… I've got you this time. We are a family." She whispered against his chest.

Athrun was rendered completely speechless, and he started crying in earnest. Cagalli was reminded of the time she confronted him of killing Kira, it was conviction that caused him to be unable to find words. She knew it was time, she took out the rings from her pocket, and took the larger one.

"Come on…you were the one who rehearsed the wedding vows in that die-hard romantic letter of yours. Read it with me, Athrun, 'In sickness…'" She requested as she took his hand, and slotted the ring onto his finger. It was loose, and it confirmed that he had lost quite a lot of weight.

"'…And… in health…" He managed to stammer through his sobs, surprised at what she was doing.

"Till death do us part." She whispered, "Let's put everything behind us, let's start afresh. Don't blame yourself anymore…you're done your best, I know it. I love you."

He gazed shyly at her, saying nothing to acknowledge her statement. Then in a tiny voice he uttered.

"I love you, too..."

She hugged him tightly at that, tears in her eyes.

Sensing that it was the best time to break the news to him. She confessed. "And…I did something wrong too, I hid something from you too…I lied."

"…Huh…?"

"The baby…". She took his hand and directed it unceremoniously to her bloated abdomen.

"She's yours, not Leonidas's…And yes, I went for a scan earlier this time, there is only one, it's a she, and she's a little Zala."

Athrun could only stare at her.

"Please don't be angry at me…"

Ooo

Over the next three days, Athrun simply lost count of the number of hugs and presents he received, and there were times he cried unknowingly. It all felt so surreal to be with those he thought he had lost…

A day after he met Cagalli, Lacus and Kira came. Kira, without a single warning, punched him first, then wept and said thank you and wept, in the midst of his sobs Athrun caught words like. "Thank goodness…you…still alive, if anything happened to you…!" Kira did not continue after that, he was crying too hard. Athrun rubbed his painful nose, fighting the urge to break into tears as he held Kira's hand.

_He was after all, Kira, the one brother that the Mighty creator forgot to bless him with._

"I'm fine, I'm happy you are too…" He said sincerely, and Kira cried louder. 

_It was truth, he was no saint, but he would have done the same if he was given the same choice all over again. _

_He will do anything within his power to save Kira... _

Lacus embraced him wordlessly with an enigmatic smile on her face. Then she quietly told him they were going to name their baby starting with an 'M' as well.

_He was happy for them, because it meant that there is a baby, right…?_

Yulie Amarfi came with Mrs Amarfi and Nicol, and at some point in time gave him a pat on the head, whispering. "Well done. You've been so brave."

Athrun averted his gaze as his eyes got hot. It was funny, for he thought it was something that only a father will say to a son…

Dearka came with Miria and two of the triplets at just the right time, his ex-bodyguards hugged him affectionately, grumbling at how un-huggable he became. Then, somehow they-as in Kira, Nicol, Dearka, Cagalli, Belinda and Bethany- gathered on the table at the foot of his bed and ended up playing an impromptu game of Uno which Nicol brought. They were making so much noise that Sister Jenny eventually threatened to have them removed. They looked queer in scrubs, quite like a bunch of blue aliens, but Athrun did not want them to go. True, they were a total riot. But he liked his friends and their heartening laughter.

_He had not heard this wonderful, melodious sound for a long time; what was noise to Sister Jenny was simply music to his ears. It almost brought tears to his eyes as he watched them, sitting near him, talking and laughing about this and that and how Dearka had the misfortune of drawing 14 cards. It all felt so foreign and unreal, it was the feeling of truly living…_

"Athrun, you okay? You are just…are you tired?!" Kira asked in concern, Athrun only smiled and shook his head, unable to verbalize the turmoil in his heart.

"Well, isn't it time…" Sister Jenny consulted her watch and started, Athrun took the edge of her sleeve and pleaded "Let them stay a while more...Please."

She gazed at him, chewed her lip for a while before she relented obligingly to his plea. "But you must promise you won't touch the cards, I didn't get a chance to sterilize them before they were smuggled in…"

He nodded contritely.

_He couldn't play, but he could always peek over Cagalli's shoulder and participate._

Sister Jenny smiled in satisfaction, left; then brought them cookies. Eventually Albert came and joined in the card game, that settled things-sort of. Athrun suspected that the playful doctor is going to get an earful from Jenny later...

The next day, Steven came with his partner, who gave Athrun naughty magazines which he proudly declared will work better than any medication, those were sniffed at and discarded by Cagalli within the week. Violet followed in the afternoon, gliding in with Lacus, both of them looked smart and resplendent in office wear. He noticed that Violet was a little on the pale and tired side, but she waved his concerned gaze off with a 'Tsk' and commented, "Come on, anything's better than dead."

"Okay…Lacus, Murasaki san." He greeted, as his manners had taught him, and attempted to get up to greet them. But he forgot that his legs had the consistency of rubber bands and hurt like crap, he would have fallen flat on his face had not the three women rush forward to catch him.

He sat down obediently after that, utterly embarrassed and speechless, he did not know what to say to dissolve the awkwardness, when he mustered enough wit to apologize. Violet held his shoulder firmly, in a gentle tone she declared, "It's alright…this time we've got your back."

Cagalli laughed at that, kissing his temple and looked at him in an 'I told you so.' manner.

He wanted to scream at the atrocity of those words, they brought him comfort in some sense, false security. But he also knew that it was transient and short-lived, in no time, these friends will too, be taken from him…

At present, he held Cagalli's hand dearly, and smiled back.

On day three, more reporters crashed through the barricade between the reception area and the hand wash door, the cameras flashing madly in the tiny window linking into the ward before they were subdued. Athrun gazed curiously at the sight, wondering who was formidable enough to bring them down in such a short period.

Then Yzak walked in, and Athrun knew then that his trip to wonderland had come to an end.

Yzak looked tired, in fact, pale and haggard would be a far more accuratedescription. And it seemed that he could not bring himself to look Athrun in the eye.

Athrun lifted a hand, and shook hands with his old friend. "Yzak. It's good to see you."

He scoffed off the compliment. "You look like crap."

"Thank you." He replied graciously. When enough insults are heard, the rest just roll right off. Yzak was silent for a moment or two before they had their much overdue talk.

ooo

"Albert..." Athrun's whispered the same night at his friend who appeared distracted.

Even though he was undoing sutures, he kept glancing in the direction where Cagalli was sleeping unguardedly on the soft couch. Athrun's had laid a blanket over her form, but at this point she curled up and kicked it off, mumbling in her sleep. She giggled, then whispered, "Don't do that…Athrun…"

Athrun smiled bitterly.

Albert's laugh was an absolute, delighted amusement as he starting dressing the area.

"She so cute, yeah?" He commented.

"Albert..." He started, knowing that it's the best time to address this issue.

"What, dude?"

He shook his head slowly.

"...I cannot simply pretend… that I like the way you look at her."

Albert's jaw fell at that, and widened his eyes as he looked at Athrun. He stammered incredulously, "I...I no...!" He gave a forced and awkward laugh.

"No...! You misunderstand, even though she's smart and she's awesome and hot...!" He cut himself off by biting his tongue, he yelped in pain, then went on. "Ngo, nyu mud underdand...!"

"You like her, don't you...?" Athrun pressed, even though there was this mysterious pain in his chest. Albert flushed. Athrun recognized the look, 'like' was the understatement of a century, he was positively head-over-heels over her.

"Thorry..." Albert muttered awkwardly, "I know nue's nyour...But...I...!"

"Will you take care of her?" He blurted out before he could think better of it.

"Huh...?"

"When I'm gone... will you take care of her?"

"Athrun..." Albert implored, he realized what Athrun was truly asking. "Quite joking around... And, nothing's gonna happen to you! It's my job to make sure..."

"I mean it...I...shouldn't see her anymore...don't let her come back from tomorrow onwards..."

"Shut up!" Albert snapped, "Have you ever considered her feelings...?!"

"...Friend." Athrun said patiently, "I'm going to die. One way or the other, they will kill me. The contract is all waffle…I committed treason, it's either death sentence or life imprisonment..."

"No!" Albert protested vehemently, "Yzak will make sure...he promised to protect you!"

Athrun felt a gush of gratitude to Yzak, and a wave of pity for Albert who actually bought that cover-up.

In a small, calm voice he told Albert.

"From the start, I made a deal with Yzak...He will be the good guy and I'll be the bad guy, so that if one of us fails, all is not lost. I made him swear to protect the Plants, not me...but the PLANTs. It has always been for the PLANTs, for the people...I'm glad that Yzak carried out my instructions to the best of his abilities. But Albert, even though you are the youngest in the Supreme Council, you must have known it. There was no salvation or hope for me from the start, I'm damned."

Albert drew breath sharply, shaking his head. He rasped, "No..."

Athrun went on heedlessly, "That was why...all I wanted was time and freedom enough to say sorry to the one woman I loved and hurt...I did, I managed, and she has forgiven me..." At this point he gazed fondly at Cagalli, Max had inherited her deep, uninterrupted sleeping patterns. He felt his heart being pierced, he reached to caress her face, wanting nothing but to look at her and remember her face and hold the image dear until his dying moment. She smiled as his hand glided across her cheek, mumbling, "'thrun…"

"But this is the end of the road, I will die..." He whispered with finality.

"No!" Albert shook his head, "Yzak will have a way! He will save you!"

"Yzak cannot afford to save me..." Athrun explained tiredly, "Think about it, the government is rallying around Yzak for the fact he seems most neutral in the grand scheme of things. You, Steven, Violet, uncle Amarfi all played a part in the rebellion. If Yzak took a side, he will disqualify himself from the place of leadership. If he falls, the provisional government will crumble, society will be destroyed by anarchy and chaos. No Albert, Yzak won't, and he can't save me."

There was a haunted look in Albert's eyes, and then Athrun knew he had seen the truth.

"All I can do now is to ensure that she will be taken care of...I love her, but she will suffer if she loves me back. Albert, don't you understand? I can't have that..."

"What...?"

"I cannot…die in peace knowing that she will be left behind...!" He cried, his voice cracking. "I can't have that...!"

"I can't believe this...!" Albert snarled, "You're...giving up?!"

"What choice do I have...?" He whispered, "Albert, you tell me...How? How do you expect me to have hope that I will survive...?!"

"But...! You can't! You are the one who taught me about love, it can't be! It just...can't!" He shook his head helplessly, seemingly angry at himself at being unable to offer a plausible solution to convince Athrun otherwise...

"What can't be...?" A soft voice mumured. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and gave him an uncertain, heart-breaking smile. "Hey. Athrun...I was dreaming that we brought the kids to disneyland at last...They were so happy..."

Guilt and regret stabbed him, he knew it was a dream that will never be fufilled.

"Cagalli..."

ooo

Kira was getting up for a quick mid-night snack when Cagalli came home, and he was alert at once, her eyes had been cried reddened and raw.

"What happened?" He quickly made some warm honey, and pressed it into her unresponsive hands.

She gazed at him like he wasn't there.

"Kira...Why...? Why does it have to end like this...?"

"Like what?" He questioned, "What happened?"

"Athrun asked me to leave..." She choked brokenly, "He's...he told me to leave...!"

"Why...?"

"Is he...going to die? After everything we've been through...is he really going to die?"

Kira did not reply, he could not. It was true, Lacus knew...he knew...There was no hope from the start. What Athrun had done for PLANTs will not save him from certain death, it just was not enough for the world...

ooo

The only one who was allowed to accompany Athrun to the courtroom was Albert, who pushed the wheelchair wordlessly. The arguement two days ago has led to a cold war. He felt a little bad and lonely that now, even Albert would not talk to him, and others had been forbidden to visit him with the restoration of his status as a dangerous state prisoner. Other than that, nothing much has changed. It was a series of accusations-some true, many false- that denied him of a chance to defend himself. And he did not make an effort to, Lacus and Kira were in the audience stand, anger and concern on their faces. He looked away, gripping the fabric on his knees; wishing that Cagalli will forgive him someday, that they need not hear all this awful criticisms about him. He had hoped that at least they will remember him for who he truly was when he is gone...

For the umpteeth time, he prayed for death to be swift...and less humiliating.

By some means, he got his wish.

He was apparently the only one who noticed the assassin on the top-tier, mascareding as one of the public jury. He was a middle-aged man and he assembled the weapon, it was a short-ranged rifle made in space-grade plastic, one that fires small-calibre bullets, it was more than sufficient for killing him. Before the others around him realized it, he had finished the assembly and taken aim right at Athrun's head.

In that breath-taking instant Athrun panicked, but he did not alert Albert. He simply bit his lip and closed his eyes, willing for himself to be brave. He made a private apology to Cagalli, to all who came to sit with him for the last time in the ward, even if it was just for a few moments; even to Hyperion, whom he saw as a sort of a friend.

The man fired.

ooo

I am...MARRIED. Haha, I finally finished this chapter on day 2 in my husband's(Brand new) house, this is the last cliffhanger there will be in this story, simply because the next chapter will be the last. Thank you for staying with this story even though i realized it has almost been a year since I updated. These few months has been hectic with work and the wedding preparations.

I used to think that eloping is a myth, only when one is preparing for a wedding one will realize why people elope. There's just so many things to take care of and so many things to pay for!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Yours

Ming

ooo


	31. Chapter 31: Saviour

Chapter 31: Saviour

_ooo_

_Cagalli left Kisaka outside as she entered his study, it was a vast space that smelt of scented wood and the walls were lined by shelves of electronic volumes. The door closed behind her._

"_Good evening. I knew you would come." Yzak said quietly as he stood up, "Tea?" He offered._

"_No, thank you." She replied, "Chairman Jule, I hope to keep our meeting short, I have no time for the likes of backstabber and traitors."_

_Yzak's hands never paused at the accusation, he poured tea and indicated an armchair. "Have a seat."_

"_Thank you." Cagalli accepted the courtesy, settling down in front of Yzak._

"_Why did you do that?" She asked._

"_Do what?"_

"_Please don't act dumb, it doesn't suite you." Cagalli replied evenly as she took a deep breath, preparing her accusation. _

"_You were the one behind all this. You manipulated the Supreme Council, you deceived Athrun."_

_Yzak Jule gazed at her calmly with those blue eyes for an infuriatingly long period of time, and did not acknowledge nor refute the statement. Cagalli noticed for the first time that his eye colour was mixed with a purple tinge. _

"_Yzak. Why..?"_

_She did not want to confront this man, she wanted to continue living in the land of sunshine and ponies and continue in her belief that Yzak Jule was loyal in his friendship to Athrun, but facts had been so painful and plain and she was forced to take action. She had discreetly and skillfully questioned Mark and Frank and anyone else related to the case, she realized that one thing was the same. They have been silenced in some way by the Supreme Council. _

_Upon questioning Giorados Winhill, she realized that that there may be a greater power at work, and she did not want to think about it. But it may be related to the death dealers, and they may have found themselves another pawn in PLANTs… _

_It just happened that this pawn was their friend._

"_Yzak. Please." She pleaded. "You've manipulated Athrun, you have also damned him. You're rushing the trial in an unfavourable direction and concealed the truth. You knew how Athrun is, you knew he would sign the indemnity under those circumstances. If it is just for saving the victims of the plague I would not have been suspicious, but now after all that is said and done the hearing is being brought forward. Someone wanted to buy Athrun from Giorados, they did not succeed, now they are waiting for Athrun's execution and they would spirit him away when the world stops looking. And they will finally succeed because you would let them. Am I wrong?"_

"_What a convoluted conspiracy theory...Don't worry, he will not be harmed." Yzak did not look at her._

"_Not be harmed?" She questioned shakily, trying not to let her anger get the better of her. Both of them were angry, but Yzak's anger was cold, and cold anger could be used._

"_Do you seriously buy that? He is being harmed! You know what happened, even when it was evident that it would endanger Athrun's life, Giorados's mystery buyer bade for him to be brought along. Athrun is trying to hide it from me, but I know his life is still in persistent danger due to depletion of bone marrow reserves. In a few days time it will still be like that, the body simply cannot bounce back from insults like that. I don't know what these people promised you, but I don't think keeping Athrun alive is in their agenda…" _

_Yzak said nothing at that. _

_Yzak...please. Tell me, maybe we can solve this. Maybe I can help."_

_"No one can help." He replied in a hopeless, dead-panned voice, Cagalli felt her heart wrench, but she pressed on, knowing she was making progress. "How do you know? You haven't tried." _

_Yzak took a deep breath, and breathed out very slowly. "I have things I want to accomplish…To do that…there must be sacrifices…" He turned to her slowly, pain in his eyes. "I don't expect you to understand, but please...don't interfere." _

_"And let you deliver Athrun into these people's hands like a lamb to the slaughter...?" She asked sarcastically. "I don't think so."_

_"Cagalli...!"_

"_Let me think, there must be a way out."_

_" You think I've done nothing?!" He caught himself, and took a deep breath before he whispered. "…You think it's easy to prosecute Zala like that…?"_

_Cagalli melted, Yzak had not betrayed them. There was such agony in his eyes, in his voice._

"_You are one brain, we are two." She said softly. " Even if you don't think my au natural brain is comparable to your Coordinator one. I'm here not to declare my enmity, but to remind you of who I am and what I am capable of doing to protect Athrun…We are allies, even if you are not willing. " She bit her lip, gazing at the floor._

" _Yzak…I have come…too close to losing him these last few months. And I am not about to lose him now. My resources are yours if you are my ally, and these same resources will turn again you if you're not."_

_"What do you mean?" He asked slowly, finally understanding how serious she was. _

_She sighed, and looked him in the eye. "Enough is enough, I have decided the moment I came to PLANTs, if anything should happen to Athrun, I will bring war on PLANTs. I'll bring down every colony starting from Aprilius, and kill every Supreme Councilor for hurting him. You would have been my first target…"_

_Yzak stared blankly at her and her threat sitting out there so nakedly, "You won't." _

_She remained unfazed, laughing. _

_Yzak stood up. "This place is Athrun's home..." He reasoned._

"_This so-called home has only brought him grief and made use of him and threw him away like an old shoe." She replied coldly. _

_Yzak was not convinced, "Cagalli Yula Athha… Lord Uzumi died for peace."_

_For some reason she was irked. _

_"No… Yzak. My father did not die for peace."_

_Yzak Jule widened his eyes, and waited._

"_He died for what he loved..."_

_Yzak could not find a reply to that, Cagalli sighed heavily._

" _If Athrun is gone… this world…this whole universe would not mean a damn thing…..." She spat. _

_"Impossible, you don't have the resolve... you never did." Yzak said with finality._

_"That's what all the men say, let me highlight my resolve and capability then. PLANTs is indebted to Orb, your people trust me; they hate those who hate me. Even before you or Lacus raised a finger to nab the attackers who burnt down Athrun's house, the citizens have acted to avenge me. The Orb army is floating off in outer orbit in the name of protection, at my command, or if anything untoward happens, they will act to protect me…They will also act if I tell them to. You know what is the one thing I can do to PLANTs and it is also the one thing PLANTs cannot afford to do now…"_

_Yzak nodded, he knew it was true, and he knew they were vulnerable._

_"...Alright." Yzak finally agreed on the unwilling alliance, Cagalli stretched out a hand, and Yzak shook it. When Cagalli turned to leave, Yzak called her. _

_"Yula Athha…"_

_"What is it?"She turned and asked. _

_He looked her in the eye as he considered, then asked. "Orb… had always been your priority, everything else was…second place. What changed? What made you the ruthless monarch you are now?" _

_She was stung, he had used the right word and it was true. She would have stopped at nothing to ensure Athrun's safety..._

_"I…use to act by the hopes and responsibilities that others place on my shoulders, my father, my generals, my emirs, my people. Before, I daren't do anything that I wanted, because I kept believing that someone will be angry if I did. I thought that Athrun was merely part of my world...as was everything else."_

_She sighed, his tenderness was perhaps what changed her, he had loved her unreservedly, often at the expense of himself. And even to the last dying moments, but what had she done for him in return? _

"_He loved me enough to accept that... when he married me, he willingly took second place and loved me graciously. He had always done that, he had always loved me more than I could love him back. But after these months...after Leonidas, I realized..." She gave a heavy sigh. _

_"What I've always…wanted was…" She paused, biting her lip. Yzak gazed at her patiently._

"…_Athrun is my world." _

_Yzak looked at her in a knowing way, she had a strange feeling he understood, a smile touched her lip and she turned fully to look him in the eye._

_"If he should cease to exist, a world like this is no longer worth fighting for. Do you understand?"_

_Yzak nodded steadily._

"_I understand…"_

_There was more behind that statement that Cagalli did not understand, and even more that Yzak did not. In that moment, they were denominated by loss…_

Ooo

Albert Canberry had no idea that at 29 years of age, today will be his last day on planet earth.

These few days had left him in a bitter and downright cranky state, it was not a good way to go, but when it comes to this sort of thing, there was no clue-and no choice.

_That night, Athrun spoke quietly and truthfully, pleading with Cagalli to leave. It was the first time Albert could believe that in that space of 3 minutes, he was rendered completely invisible. When it started, both of them spoke softly, but as the notion set in, Cagalli became upset and started yelling. At some point, she lost her temper and snapped at Athrun, "Moron! Why can't you understand?! I will not love any other! Not Leonidas! Not him!" _

_Jealousy and anger gripped his heart as Cagalli pointed a finger at him, after that she ran out. She was not crying, but she looked like she was finding a bathroom where she could._

_Beyond that, Athrun slumped back onto the sheets, all Albert could say sarcastically was, "Happy now?"_

_Athrun did not reply._

From that day on, Athrun seemed to turn into an empty shell. He does not talk, would not eat and refused medications…

It got the nurses worried and they sat down with him to coax him to, he would shake his head, saying nothing…He did not seemed overtly concerned with trivial things in life; nor things that kept him alive. His eyes, which were once green and intelligent and alive, now no longer shone with luster of any kind. It seemed there overnight, this body had been stripped of the soul that had inhabited and sustained it for so long…

_In a sense, Athrun was just doing what the world expected and dictated of him; dying. _

_No one had the right to fault him for doing it quietly… _

It took Jenny to settle down beside him and threaten him for 2 hours straight that they will have to amputate his legs if the wounds worsened anymore. It was a heart-breaking affair when at one point, Jenny went formal and declared coldly, "You should be informed that it is within your obligation as a study subject to fulfill all that is instructed as you have not been officially discharged from the protocol. Please note that in the eventuality we ascertain that your self-destructive behavior threatens the interest of the nation, we will act and use more extreme, possibly invasive methods to ensure that you live, by definitions of all physical parameters, even if you don't want to."

The ultimatum sat out there for a full minute, Athrun said nothing. Then as Jenny turned to deliver possibly malicious instructions to the other nurses, Athrun took the edge of her sleeve gingerly, and his hand was trembling slightly.

In a small voice he said, "Don't do that to me…"

"…Then eat." Jenny replied stoically, but Albert could see that she was shaken, there was a slight tremor in her voice.

Athrun obliged then, doing whatever he was told to do like a clockwork robot. It was terrible to watch him put food into his mouth mindlessly. Though Jenny sat there like a piece of rock and watched him finished up, Albert found her in a corner weeping silently after that...

"Doctor Albert…I'm sorry…to be so…emotional…I…" She stuttered, Albert only comforted her with a hug.

"Orders are orders, Sister. You did what was right."

She cried harder.

Albert was upset, mostly at himself, and felt that he had failed his duty as a doctor. His job was to save lives, in this instance, Athrun's life, which he knew simply will not happen. He tried all means and ways to seek advice from lawyer friends he knew, he tried confronting Yzak, he tried giving Cagalli calls which she would not answer, he turned to Lacus Clyne for counsel. But all his efforts were to no avail…The truth shone plainly and seemed to slap him in the face on an hourly basis.

_Athrun had lost the will to live._

It was not that he did not want to talk to Athrun, he no longer knew what to say; what to do to pull his friend out from the shell he had withdrawn into. There was not hope, now even conversations about automobiles seemed so flippant and like an utter insult to someone who will never get the chance to drive them. In some ways, Athrun was merely trying to protect what's left of himself from the terrible truth that he was going to die, and to some extent he was determined to die with dignity…

Albert respected that, if it were his friend's final wishes… He consulted Giorados, who has worked with the terminally ill before, and Giorados gave a simple set of suggestions that just might work to prevent Athrun from turning into a vegetable.

Albert sat down with Athrun one day, encouraging him to fashion a Will, it might or might not have legal validity, and if it did, what fraction of it will be approved. But it seemed to cheer Athrun up to give him some planning to do, and the deed took all of three days and was sealed in the envelope; it is only to be opened upon Athrun's execution.

Athrun only held the letter in his hands for a few moments, seemingly not willing to pass the copy to the lawyer. He gazed pensively at it, then held it dear to his heart and made a silent prayer. Albert felt his chest being constricted at the sight…

_Whatever in the envelope was all the hope Athrun had left in the world…_

His assets had been liquefied upon his supposed death declaration in space and he had never sought them; because he thought he will die in space. The liquid assets were fortunate, seeing that the whole house had been burnt down by the mob. Somehow, the amount was transferred right back under Athrun's name. Portions had then been set out for Maximillion Zala's and Marlene Zala's education, for Cagalli Yula Athha and her unborn child, for Lacus Clyne orphanage…Albert did not know, but Athrun had given him something substantial as well.

The morning before leaving for the courtroom, he placed a set of clothing on Athrun's lap, it was a light blue business shirt and dark pants.

He looked Athrun in the eye. "Remember the young public prosecutor a few days ago? He brought documents of the charges, as well as this, kinda sweet. I think it will be good to put them on. It looks way better than the hospital gown."

Athrun nodded, seemingly grateful for the charity. His eyes were so gentle and sad, Albert could roughly guess what was going on in his mind.

_Whenever anyone else is around, Athrun would place his arms behind him, attemting to hide the wounds from view. Obviously, his efforts have been in vain_. The long-sleeve shirt was tasteful and would conceal the wounds, and the cut of the shirt was flattering and prevents the immediate telling of how thin he had become.

In the courtroom, Albert stood beside his friend, watching a figurative barrage of fire and brimstones rain down upon Athrun's slight frame, who hung his head low and did not say anything even when taunted or questioned. The only discernible movement from him was an occasional slight forward bend to contain pain, and sometimes a cough or two. Albert only stood there, wanting to crouch over Athrun to shield him from all this evil.

'_Please don't hurt him anymore…'_

Albert placed a hand on Athrun's shoulder and squeezed his friend's shoulder blade, which was quite bony. For a while, Athrun did and said nothing.

Then after another moment, he reached to cup his hand over Albert's.

He whispered something so tender-hearted that it almost brought tears to Albert's eyes.

"Thank you…for standing by me."

Albert held back his tears, he was overwhelmed with bitterness.

_If he were in Athrun's shoes and had been placed through all these terrible ordeals and betrayed; he would have attempted to grab a gun from the guard standing behind. Killed the judge, murdered the prosecutor and the public jury, then put a bullet through his own head._

But here Athrun was, still child-like in his priorities and keeping his cool and his stand that the sin was all his to bear. Albert was not on the spaceship with him, but he knew that it simply could not be that one person had instigated an entire army to defect and forced them to war. It simply does not happen.

At one point, Athrun looked up, Albert was instantly intrigued, and he looked up at what Athrun was looking at. Funny enough, it was not Cagalli nor Kira or anything like that…

Athrun was gazing intently at a man from the public jury doing something very quickly with his hands. Albert cocked his head to one side and studied the man's rapid and deliberate actions, the series of actions was not familiar to him, but Athrun seemed to understand something, and in a quick succession there was a chain of expression on his face. First it was fear, then remorse and in another instant it turned to peace; there was calm, complete acceptance of what was about to happen. Subconsciously, Athrun's hands enclosed around the ring he still wore on his fourth finger.

For some reason, Albert felt the fine hairs at the back of his neck stand on end, his muscles were tense. Athrun simply closed his eyes as the barrel of the assembled gun peeked out from over the banister.

"Athrun!" Albert did not stop to consider, he lunged forward and pushed his friend to the ground and out of harm's way.

There was a loud sound as he managed to shove Athrun onto the floor, then something gore into him from behind…

Ooo

_Athrun could not believe what was happening._

He could only stare motionlessly at his friend for a while, oblivious to the mayhem and screams around him. He felt his blood ran cold as he saw the red on Albert's white coat.

"Albert…!" He cried shakily, his hands gripping his friend's shoulder. "Albert…?! Wake up! Wake up!"

The bullet had entered Albert's body from his back and exited his body from the other side, it also grazed past Athrun's cheek, leaving a cut there…

Athrun forced himself to push away panic, "Someone call the medics, please!" He yelled to the guards behind, they acted upon his words. He tore his sleeves and began to administer first-aid, all the while crying out to his friend in hopes that he will wake.

Albert was bleeding copiously and his face was a mask of agony, and Athrun pressed two fingers against his friend's wrist. There was only a weak, almost indiscernible throb beneath his fingers.

_Then it stopped. _

"Albert!" He cried, refusing to believe that his friend is dead.

"Run! Chairman Zala!"

The unfamiliar voice made him look up and an unexpected sight greeted his eyes.

_Usually when there is someone bearing firearms, the general unarmed public will run in the opposite direction._ But in this instance, the man, realizing he had failed to kill his target the first time, tried to take aim again. But his efforts was thwarted by the members of the public jury, the men pounced on him, straddling him, and the women tried to buzz him; there was even an old lady who pounded him repeatedly on the head with her walking stick as if she were killing cockroaches. The assassin shook himself like a great bear, dislodging some of them, fired at someone who was on the floor.

"No!" Athrun yelled in distraught.

The assassin took aim at him, again. And fired.

"Get down!" This time the voice was from behind Athrun, he only saw a flash of silver hair before someone's hands pressed him against the floor and crouched over him.

"Yzak…?!" Athrun exclaimed, there was a definite moment of impact when the second bullet hit his friend in the waist. "No! Yzak?!" He screamed.

It was a few dreadful moments before Yzak got up slowly, turned to him and gave a shaky, yet still cocky smile. Then he scowled. "Shut up, Zala."

With that he reached to the small of his back and dislodged a small, flattened bullet from his torn uniform; he dropped it swiftly as it was still smoking. Athrun noticed a layer of black beneath the fabric, then let out a breath he did not remember holding.

"I need to thank Wisely…" Yzak commented, then added softly in an afternote. "And probably Shiho too…"

Athrun nodded, trying to guess what had the police commissioner and Shiho got to do with this, he was too shaken for words. He turned back to the assassin. It did not seem deterrent enough for him to have downed two or three, for the people rushed forward again, charging in unity. The old lady looked more formidable and vicious than ever with her walking stick.

_That brought tears to his eyes…_

Finally, one man subdued the assassin with a fire extinguisher blow to the head.

"Take him to safety!" Yzak ordered the men, and one guard tried to drag him away from Albert's still frame, he pulled away and pleaded. "No! We need to help him." Yzak gazed at him darkly, muttering something profane under his breath. Then took off his coat and placed it under Albert's head.

"Canberry...!" Yzak breathed as he undid Albert's shirt and assessed the extent of the wound and noting that there was no pulse, Athrun did not miss the worry on Yzak's face as he turned to the guard and shouted. "Corporal, start timing. Help stem the bleeding."

The guard assaulted his watch with shaky fingers, then placed his hand over Athrun's; which was holding down the fabric against Albert's wound, the soldier paled as he hand was saturated in a pool of blood. Athrun quickly positioned Albert's head and body, then located the position to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Yzak slapped his hands off.

"What?!" He protested indignantly, Albert does not have time.

"I'll do it." Yzak replied, "You're a pathetic mess of a soldier."

With that Athrun realized he was hyperventilating, his breaths were short and fast. He cursed himself for panicking and he forced himself to focus; roughly wiping the tears from his face to prevent them from marring his vision. The other soldier brought a first-aid kit and dressings enough for the wound. And Athrun helped him instead.

"How long now?" Yzak panted, the guard was shouting something to his partner, then turned his attention back. "Erm, 1 minute 13 seconds! Sir! The ambulance is here…" Athrun nodded with relief and continued dressing the wounds, reciting the mantra of _**1-a-2-a-3-a-4-a-5**_ in his head with Yzak. CPR was not a pretty affair, it was scary to watch Albert's ribcage creak and deform under pressure, but it was the only way for attempt to restore circulation.

It was on the second cycle that Albert coughed, and blood spluttered onto Yzak's face and neck, Yzak stopped. "Hey! Canberry…? Talk to me!"

Albert opened his eyes in a weak, dreamy manner.

"Hey…" Athrun breathed out a sigh of relief, more tears mysteriously sliding down his face, he walked on his knees to Albert's side and held his hand tightly. "We'll get help…you'll be alright." He stuttered, not knowing what else to say to calm his grievously injured friend, and he was desperately aware that his friend was wounded because of him. There was enough guilt as he gazed at Albert to make him want to scratch himself to death.

Albert gave a half-smile that was full of his usual general cynicism about the world.

"It's you…" He muttered in a sort of a disappointed way at Yzak, then explained abashedly at Athrun's quizzical look and Yzak's completely puzzled one. "I dreamt that Cagalli kissed me..."

More tears came as Athrun's chest tightened, he did not know whether to laugh or to cry; he could not tell if his friend was joking. Yzak rolled his eyes at the accusation that he was simply not female, and countered with, "Too bad, you flirt. Yula Athha is taken."

_Athrun stared at Yzak, and suddenly felt as if all he wanted to do was to run to her and hold her and never let her go. She was all that he had ever held dear, and he had driven her away in hopes that she will find her promise land elsewhere…_

"Why did you do that…? Why did you protect me…?" Athrun demanded brokenly, _he did not deserve it, he was a dead man_.

Yzak stood up as a bunch of paramedics laid a stretcher and medical equipment down beside Albert. They were shouting something about a 'defibrillator' and 'gone-case'…

"I don't know…" Albert rasped feebly, and coughed blood, there was a deceitful calm on his face. He was scared, but he was also prepared…

"…But… I'm glad you're okay…"

"No…no…" Athrun whimpered. Desperately trying to keep Albert awake.

How _could it be? It was a stupid thing to try to save him._

"I'm just…" Albert closed his eyes, and blinked blearily, like a child fighting sleep. "A little…tired…"

"Don't sleep!" Athrun cried, pleading with his friend.

Y_ou won't wake up… _

"No problem…" Albert smiled again, it was peaceful.

Then just like that, he closed his eyes and did not open them again.

Athrun couldn't quite remember what happened after that, but there was blood, and there was pain. Then Yzak came, and Kira with him, and they dragged Athrun forcibly away, something happened and he lost consciousness…

_ooo_

_As a law student, High judge William Jaconbson had asked his professor this question before._

"_Why does Themis, the goddess of justice hold a scale in one hand, a sword in the other, then blindfold herself? Can she see what she is doing?"_

_Professor Chang only gave an enigmatic smile, and replied with his usual answer._

"_Guess."_

_William Jacobson understood later on as a young judge why his professor had refused to answer that particular query. Some things cannot be taught, only caught. He would in time., provide the answer to his own question..._

"_She blinded her eyes so she gaze instead at the heart and search what is within…Only when the unimportant things are sieved out, the truth can reveal itself."_

_Impartiality came at a price, and had never been easy, in this time and space it proved most elusive and nearly impossible to achieve due to the involvement of his beloved wife. If anything, the plague was impartial, it does not choose between the rich and the poor, the pure and the wretched; all are equal in its sight… _

_Evelyn Jacobson was struck as one of the first batch of plague victims, she was a doctor practicing in PLANTs medical. She fell ill when she was tending to the sick. Despite her failing health, she persevered, she theorized that that the plague may have been brought on by ecology changes and developed the method to extract antibodies quickly from animal sources. _

_Due to the fact that the method was immensely cruel and there was simply no potential _

_animals which possess an antibody with properties remotely close enough-even after going through the genetic profile of half the animal kingdom. She died without succeeding in her research and was labeled demented; and a failure. She held on to her husband's hand before she died, pleading for him to fulfill her dream and save the people from impending doom... _

_That cloud of doom had hovered over William since then, they were convinced that though no one believed it yet, her theories were right and her research was brilliant. _

_Then one day, Yzak Jule stepped through his door with an opportunity to atone. _

"_I heard that your wife's research, she has been doing extensive research on the plague prior to her death… I think this is the chance we have to save our country. I would like to request for these papers…"_

"_There is no use if the antibody is not found." William said._

"_Someone found it." Yzak Jule said simply. _

_William remembered that day, there was such sadness on his face as he said that. And he thought to himself, there should not be such sadness on the face of someone so young and fine. _

_The young should enjoy their lives to the fullest, and live and love, then die._

_As Yzak screened through Evelyn Jacobson's extensive research, he got paler and paler. At last, he stuttered, "This extraction method…has it ever been utilized in humans?"_

"_No." High Judge replied simply. _

"_What are the survival rates of the animal hosts?"_

"_Zero." He replied, and explained, "Generally, death does not occur within the study protocol, but the animals were unanimously put down after that as their anatomy is so damaged that it was deemed incompatible with life in the wild. If they were released, they would simply die within hours, or days and that method of death is upmost cruelty…kinda like those reviling folks who still consume shark's fin. But with human beings, with proper nutrition and healthcare, it will be different."_

_Yzak Jule swallowed hard, looking as if he might pass out. "I need to conference with my advisors."_

"_Take all the time you need." High judge Jacobson replied generously. He was excited, but he knew he could push the matter no further._

_Precisely forty eight hours later, Yzak Jule agreed that it needs to be done. _

_Survelliance started the moment the potential subject was identified. William was surprised, this subject was less than foreign to him. After all, he was the youngest Chairman in history; and more amazingly, he lasted the whole term. _

_Most importantly, he did well in that term. _

_William watched the footages as he was brought to the prisons and thrashed by his captors, he felt no pity for this man; this criminal. It was well-known that abuse happens, this was just another case. _

_But what intrigued him from the very start was that it seemed that no matter what was done to him, he would not fight back. They could beat him up and starve him and trample on him, but he kept quiet and bore it all. _

_It became very easy to dehumanized someone who does not fight back. _

_Charges rained down like arrows from the soldiers who were in space with him and from those who got hurt or died in the battles that followed the Crimson army. It was all too easy, everything that went wrong was his fault. As a result, the public feared him and despised what he had done, he had committed high treason, the consequence was either death or exile. They demanded his execution for the fact that if he was exiled, his capabilities can very easily and readily turn against PLANTs once again. He was a Warlord that had brought down the entirety of the Zaft army. Once may be an accident, two was a hit, three times was simply overkill. Hence, in the day and time of political unrest, it became an easy and popular choice to simply push for Athrun's execution._

_But William Jacobson did not want him dead…thereby, he is now on the way to give him salvation._

Ooo

Cagalli held on to his hand.

They were back in the ward, and he was thankfully alive. Dearka and Spencer are outside the door, refusing to leave, their job is seemingly to guard her and her job is to sit with Athrun, and hopefully make him eat something when he wakes up. The meal had turned cold, but the fish still looked palatable.

Athrun was unharmed apart from the brand new scar on his cheek and where the needles had been forcibly torn from his wrists. She touched the dressings on his face tenderly. He looked like he was having a bad dream, and Cagalli knew he would blame himself till forever and a day if he found out what had happened to Albert and Yzak…

Athrun murmured something in his fitful sleep, his brow was coated in perspiration.

"Athrun…?" She asked, praying for him to wake.

"…No…Albert…?…Don't die…" He moaned piteously, writhing. "…Why?!"

She bit back her tears, she wanted to ask the same question herself.

_The feeling of loss was so raw and strange, Albert was there to joke with them just yesterday; and used Teddy bears as hostages and play Uno cards and had the deviousness to combine power cards to the point where Dearka had to draw all 18 at one shot. He was the fun of the party and hit it off well with Dearka and Bethany, whom he had met for the first time. Come to think of it, he was quite the opposite of Athrun who would keep things to himself and is not quite so expert in making some fun… _

Most importantly, he was not just a doctor, he was Athrun's friend and the one who stood by him through all this hardship…

She gripped Athrun's hand.

_It was because of Albert's sacrifice that her husband lives. If anything had happened to Athrun…she did not know what she will do… _

"Athrun…he's…" She whispered.

"He's…?"

Cagalli startled, Athrun's eyes were opened, and he gazed straight ahead at the white ceiling as he asked again in a calm voice, "He's gone…isn't he?"

Cagalli nodded.

His gaze then trained on her, and he reached out to her, then he realized he could not. His eyes widened in alarm as he realized his wrists and ankles were bound tightly by padded, soft leather straps.

"Cagalli…?" He looked to her for help.

She shook her head.

"Untie me." He commanded.

She shook her head again.

"No." She said evenly, it was unbearable to see them tie restraints over his body, but she was equally afraid that he will hurt himself once he has his hands free.

_She knew he had refused to eat and drink, and it scared her. Because it seemed that he was determined to die…_

He gazed at her for a while longer, and she almost gave in, almost. She tore her gaze away.

"I see…" He said coldly after a while, and nodded once as he pursed his lips. There was such a hurt of betrayal in his eyes.

"You are one of them too…"

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"I thought…" He whispered, "That you'll be on my side…" He shook his head in a sheer mockery of a smile. "I was wrong."

_That broke her heart…_but he continued the assault relentlessly.

"You're just like one of them…" He muttered. Then in a tiny, quivering voice he said. "You think that I'm crazy…"

"That's not true…!" She snapped at the accusation, "I…!"

"It's alright…!" He said, interrupting her, then softened his tone to a mere breath.

"…I think I am too…"

She shook her head, pleading. "No…Athrun…listen!"

"You should leave…" He said dismissively, and turned his face away from her.

"Athrun, please listen…" She pleaded.

"I don't want to…" He replied curtly.

"I'm not going to leave!" She insisted.

"You should leave!" He shouted at her, his muscles tensed up and was pulling against the leather straps, the binds only tightened and dug into his flesh.

"LEAVE! Cagalli Yula Athha, don't be stupid!" He yelled at her. "You…you should go far, far away from me!"

"Stop being so childish and listen to me!" She yelled back, feeling so damn hurt.

He laughed sarcastically, "Oh…I am childish? That's a first…!"

Then quite suddenly the expression on his face scrunched up like a crumpled paper ball.

"Athrun…?" She cried, fighting panic, she did not know what, but something was wrong. "Are you in pain…?" She questioned gingerly, getting closer so she could examine him.

He did not reply, only gritting his teeth and gazing ruefully at his wrists where bleeding had started afresh.

"It's okay…! Just a second." She collected herself as she started undoing the clasps that held the belt in place on his left wrist, she knew he cannot afford to bleed. Her fingers were trembling as the dark blood trickled down onto the sheets.

_She was sitting with Shiho at Dearka's office watching the trial when the assassination happened, she almost screamed as she saw Albert move quickly and suddenly to push Athrun away. Then there was a very loud sound, and Albert fell, the bullet having gored right through him, then there was a lot of blood._

_Shiho grabbed the car keys, "Stay put, I need to go, Yzak's there too." She spoke evenly, but Cagalli could tell she was scared._

"_Take me with you!" She requested, "Athrun's…!"_

"_My orders are to keep you safe!" Shiho snapped, and looked like she wanted to say more, but Cagalli took her hand and interrupted her, "Shiho, please…please, you should understand, I won't sit here! If you don't bring me I'll simply do something stupider and get myself there! I must get to Athrun…!"_

_Shiho gazed at her steadily, she understood, being on the same boat herself, she said, "Keep up."_

"_Thank you!" Cagalli grabbed something more decent, planning to change out of her tee-shirt and shorts the moment she was on the car. Then another very loud sound issued from the telecast. Shiho screamed this time, "Oh my God! YZAK! _

_The rest became national news, it was no secret that Athrun and Yzak are friends- though neither of them will ever admit it to each other's faces- it was a moment to behold as Yzak got there and shielded Athrun with his own body against the assassin's bullet, and Athrun cried out in surprise._

_It seemed that in that instant, the world was reminded of who Athrun was, he had never spoken a string of more than ten words in the last few months in the trials. But in that instant Cagalli could literally feel the change in perception, the world had been dragged kicking and screaming back to the realization that this man was human as he yelled, "No! Yzak…!"._

_For a moment Cagalli could feel her heart stop, fearing another friend has been added to the casualty list… _

_Then Yzak got up, seemingly unscathed, then the two of them worked together to administer first-aid. Shiho almost fainted with relief, then they quickly made their way to the courts. _

_They continued watching the telecast while on the car. It was apparent that their Zaft discipline did them good, she was sure the army instructors will be proud. They worked together systematically amidst the usual bickering, commands were delivered, no one ran helter-skelter. Because they were military men and they were calm, others mirrored and stopped panicking. Albert regained consciousness only briefly, and probably said something that made the two of them unable to decide how to respond. Maybe that was why people liked him, he could remember to joke till the moment he died..._

"Done." Cagalli said, for not a moment too soon after she freed his arm, he sprang up and grabbed the carving knife. She did not even have time to inhale as with a blurred motion, he brought the blade to bear on his own neck...

"Athrun!" Cagalli stopped the blade with her hand that wrapped itself around the knife, and as Athrun slashed it across; it cut across her palm instead of his carotid artery. With the other hand she twisted his wrist so hard such that he was forced to drop the weapon.

The blade cluttered to the ground, both of them were panting.

And Athrun widened his eyes as he realized what had happened, and saw the cut on her hand, "Cag…!"

She slapped him across his good cheek, hard.

He did not react for quite a while, then as he collected his thoughts, he stammered, "Sorry…"

"SORRY?!" She questioned incredulously, she wanted to slap him silly. "Sorry for what?!" She lashed out at him as she nursed her hand and wrapped it up roughly with spare bandages found on the beside. "The only person you should say sorry to…is yourself! What was that?! What happened, Chairman Zala?" She mocked and shoved him on the shoulder, questioning in distraught.

She did not realize she was crying as she held her breath as she asked next."What happened, Athrun…?!"

When Athrun did not reply, she began to bandage the wounds on his wrist. She was simply driven by pragmatism and the need to _do something so she won't hit him again_…already an angry bruise was forming on his face, she almost regretted it, almost. He took no notice of the awful blue-black.

"What happened…?" She asked genuinely, her voice coming out small and devastated.

"What happened to that red Zaft soldier I met on the deserted island? I remember…he is a boy with bright, kind green eyes that can talk. Who was naïve enough… to tell me he became a soldier not to kill and destroy, but to protect something…"

"I don't know…" Athrun answered, he did not look at her, could not seem to muster enough courage to.

"Maybe he is dead…Killed by his own ignorant, naïve ways…" He muttered wistfully.

"He's not dead yet…" She insisted. "Where is that brave fighter who refused to give in to obligations, to norms, to his father's orders and followed what his heart told him to do, even though it cost him his home and everything he had? Where is he now?" She demanded rhetorically, she tapped his chest with her fingers.

"Is there anything left of him…? Moron!" He did not reply, only gazed fleetingly at the blade resting on the floor, she was instantly irked.

She pointed to the blade, "You try even touching that knife one more time, I'll slit your throat myself, then commit suicide and ask Murrue to put Max and Marlene up for adoption!"

Athrun gazed at her in disbelief and horror.

"WHAT?!" She demanded, "Don't give me that look! I mean it! That is precisely what you just did, bastard! So now it's to hell with everything!? Damn you!"

Athrun sighed quietly, and after a few minutes, finally uttered words that sounded like defense.

"…A lot of people…died…because of me…" He whispered slowly, his voice so soft and shaky it was barely audible.

"Albert's dead…and…it's my fault…" Athrun rebuked himself, his fists balled up and looked like he was tempted to hit himself. "Why did he do that…?" Athrun questioned in distraught, "Why did he save me…I'm not worth saving…"

Cagalli begged to differ.

_Unlike Athrun, she could not help but be relieved that it was Albert and not Athrun. She would keep her selfish thoughts in her heart because Athrun will not hear of it, it will only hurt him more…_

"If only…I was killed…Then all these need not happen, people would not have died trying to save me…No one will get hurt. What's the point of saving me, what's the point of me being alive when I can't even …"

He gazed at her at this point, giving an utterly boyish expression.

"If I can't even protect you…"

That took her breath away, and all remaining anger dissipated like mist.

"Athrun…"

"I never lived…never was…before I met you…" He said, and gave an incredibly sad smile. "I remember you too, the zesty, beautiful, rash girl who wore a red tank top and had crabs hiding under her shirt, and she pulled her shirt so high to get rid of the crabs…"

Cagalli resisted the urge to hit him just for effect, it was a bittersweet moment.

"I never imagine then, that I would marry that girl. I was happy, Cagalli, I really was, and I never thought I would be. But…I..I lost everything…"

He held her shoulders as if he were about to kiss her, but kept his distance and beheld her. She saw the tenderness in his gaze, and tears.

"…You are a beautiful young woman..." He breathed, beholding her face, apprising her body, yet respecting her person. He parted her fringe with his finger as tears ran down his face.

"I have nothing…I'm but a cripple with heinous crimes to my name. There is nothing here for you…I'm but a broke and broken man."

"I don't care...!" She declared.

"But I do…! See what happened to those who tried to defend me. I can't have it!" He cried, his hands clutching her so tightly. "Not you, Cagalli! I can't…afford to lose you…! Can't you see? If I died…no one will have a reason to hurt you anymore…"

_Cagalli could not find anything to say, she can only cry._

"But…you…are also the only reason why I cannot die in peace…" He said with finality, his hands fell from her sides, lying limp and empty on the sheets as he wept bitterly.

Slowly she stood up and enveloped his person in her arms, allowing him to cry.

"I'm not afraid to be broken…I'm not afraid to die…" She declared softly, stroking through his hair as she felt his tears run down her arms.

"The only thing I am afraid of… is if you ever leave me…"

"But I…" He rasped and coughed, he did not continue.

"If they decide to kill you…Then that not your fault…the vows you made only included till the 'Till death do us part' part." She kissed him, "So whatever time you have left belongs to me, and you are not allowed to shorten it by any means, that's cheating…"

He bit his lip, and nodded reluctantly.

"Be brave, stay with me. You have everything I need just by being you…"

ooo

Then the door opened.

Cagalli held his breath as the public prosecutor from a few days ago came in with an elderly gentleman, the latter had a regal air about him even though he was moving so slowly that suggested he was more important and complicated than he would let on.

Athrun sat up, pulling away. The look in his eyes was like an injured prey. He gazed once at the knife again, as if planning to use it as a throw knife if these men proved to be his enemy.

"I am here to help you." The man declared. "There is no cause for alarm. I am here to give you a path that leads to survival. There is no need to be thankful to me, just be grateful that you have good friends."

The public prosecutor placed a briefcase on the table.

"I have no friends." Athrun replied aggressively, his voice cold, and Cagalli felt pain grip her heart.

_Athrun was hurting so much…_

The elderly men gave an enigmatic smile.

"Supreme Councilor Albert Canberry's body had just be collected by his family…Would you be kind enough to consider him your friend?"

Athrun gasped ever so softly, looking stricken at that. The truth had hit him hard.

"Kira Yamato risked himself, ignored orders to drag you to safety, even if it means knocking you out and being hated by you. Established a piece of evidence that might lead to your release. I was told he's an example of a very best friend."

Athrun could not find a reply.

"And Yzak Jule… I will be wrong about you if you would not consider him your friend after what he had done to achieve your salvation."

"Yzak…?"

Athrun swallowed hard, his lips had gone dry.

"But in that few hours of stubborn insistent, Yzak Jule did what was necessary to save you…if you so chooses."

"When has it ever been my turn to choose…?" Athrun whispered bitterly.

There was a terribly sour feeling in the room, and Cagalli knew it was not just her, but the two men as well, they are deeply impacted by Athrun's lamentations. No one spoke…

"If I had the right to choose, Albert would not have died…"

William Jacobson watched and the room held their breaths as Athrun went completely quiet, and seemed to transform into a statue. He did not move, did not even seem to breathe for one whole minute, then slowly, a teardrop made its way down his cheek, streaking from eye to chin. No one could blame him, it was tears of misery pouring out from a weary and broken spirit.

William would allow the young man the liberty to cry as long as he liked, he deserved at least this sort of a reprieve; having stayed silent, having been accused repeatedly, having been treated less than human all this time...

At least for him, Cagalli Yula Athha was beside him to support him, crouched over him to shield him, beside him to hold his hand, and one step forward to lead him out of the shadows. William knew then that Athrun will recover eventually; because he is in good hands. If he could find the strength and courage to weep for his own fate, he is not broken beyond having the need to have feelings.

Athrun started coughing badly, and that sort of forced him to stop and catch his breath for a few moments, William inhaled slightly, but did not let his concern show when he saw the tinge of crimson on his hands and lips. William had been keeping updated with the progress and knew it was permanent damage that had been inflicted on their young Chairman's physiology.

What he knew was, today in the courtroom, everyone found out.

It had only been less than a week when he had survived one of the worst things any human being could ever go through. The world stared as Athrun tore his sleeves to wrap up his friend's broken body. They began to realize how emaciated their once handsome Chairman had become; and the wounds, the terrible wounds that his hands and legs now bore, those ugly discolorations and swollen veins that ate up the skin on his arms. Then, as Kira Yamato began to drag him away to not impede the medical team's efforts, Athrun began to cough grievously, and eventually he brought up a few mouthfuls of blood and lost consciousness.

Athrun had been an exemplary model of integrity-and good-looks-rolled into one, who stood at the pinnacle of change. But he had willingly chosen to fall, so that more can be saved.

_This sort of sacrifice does not go unnoticed…or unrepaid. _

"Do you regret it?" William could not help asking, it was an enigmatic question fitting for an enigmatic person.

Athrun gazed at him silently, and did not seem to comprehend exactly what he was asking.

"Your body…you…will never be the same." William Jacobson pointed out plainly, his curiosity building about this guy who saved Giorados Winhill, who was so gentle that men and women would fight to die for him, and he reciprocated by mourning their deaths…even those of his enemies.

"You can choose not to answer if you don't want to…Would you have chose any differently if you knew exactly what it would costs you? What if you knew from the start that your lungs would fill with fluid and fail, what if you will never walk again, that Albert will die for you…would you have chosen any differently?"

Athrun widened his eyes, and William can see the pain so plainly in them, Cagalli tensed defensively.

William felt his own ancient heart give a wrench, they are so young, both of them. So much more they could have accomplished were they given the chance. He had grudgingly agreed to Yzak Jule's plan simply because it gave him a chance to fulfill his wife's wish.

_Athrun Zala had given Evelyn Jacobson closure, but William is undecided as to whether to give back because it was Athrun Zala, a dangerous, violent, unpredictable men. _

After a few moments, Athrun only shook his head.

"I won't…"

William Jacobson sighed.

"I knew…" Athrun went on, "I have decided from the beginning…My father, all he gave me…all he left behind for me…is PLANTs…it's the pride of Coordinators…as a nation."

William Jacobson waited, heart in mouth.

"I will give nothing less, do nothing differently. I was prepared to die, I only wanted to say goodbye, I only…wished that no one else will get hurt…not Albert, not Cagalli…" He stammered, gripping his wife's hand. "But…I'm somehow alive…and have become a burden…" He said whimsically, and William realized that was his attempt at a joke.

Cagalli shook her head, saying fiercely. "Don't say that…!"

In that instant William knew it was safe to let him go, for he will never willingly become PLANTs's enemy.

_He loved simply, so deeply and sincerely…_

He took out the documents that Yzak had fought so hard to obtain.

"Athrun Zala…I'm speechless. Someone great and important once said, true heroes... posses eyes to see beauty in the darkest places, the courage to take risks and…the capacity for sacrifice."

Athrun did not make a sound, as if inviting him to continue, and eventually he did.

"Unfortunately…these virtues make them…vulnerable." William whispered, choosing his words carefully. "…They are often wounded, sometimes destroyed."

Athrun looked down, seemingly a little embarrassed at the praise bestowed and unsure of what to make of it.

"You are such a person. And that is why…this choice should now be yours to make."

"What choice…?"

"Freedom." William whispered. It was a hard step to take, but he was also glad he arrived at this step.

Athrun's eyes glinted intently at the mention of that one word, he waited to be told more.

"These medical documents have been prepared and signed by Doctor Albert Canberry, witnessed by Dr Giorados Winhill, stating…Eh hum…" He cleared his throat loudly.

"'In conclusion, the sole study subject of the X21 Protocol, Athrun Zala, has been irrevocably damaged in the process of the protocol; and possibly in the before and after. With reference to the medical records on spaceship Corona dated since the abduction and subsequent escape from captivity, the ex-Chairman sustained mortal injuries on several occasions. A thorough physical examination done by the physician on board suggested that there had been interrogations, tortures, or both. Severe extravasations during the protocol itself, as well as precipitation of acute respiratory distress syndrome has rendered the subject non-ambulatory and disfigured, these were contributed to by poor nutrition. Due to the nature of the protocol, the subject is severely immunocompromised. Beyond physical insults, he has almost entirely lost the ability of speech and is driven to the verge of madness by guilt and trauma and is clinically, severely depressed. By far, he is an invalid.' Incapacitated. Therefore…benign."

"…What…does it mean?" Cagalli asked, there was unbelief, and concealed joy on her face. It was exaggerated truth, and she has understood, and William nodded his approval. He turned to Athrun.

"Lad, you are perceived as dangerous because of this…" He tapped his own temple twice, and Athrun touched his own forehead, understanding in his eyes.

"That was why that even though your crime and testimony are both questionable, the only option will be the death sentence. It is unanimous that with your skills and experience in war, you will be the factor that determines the ending of any battle. Whichever side you stand on, it will not be fair. They fear you, not just PLANTs, not just Earth, everyone fears you, thereby they want to kill you. Or worst…life imprisonment, to keep you forever locked up and unable to act."

Athrun nodded slightly in agreement.

"But." He interjected before the lovebirds got any more lovey and giddy with hope, "With this…which paints a different picture and stirs the common folk to understand and see you as a victim, those in power have no more reasons to condemn you. So we…or rather I can push for exile."

ooo

Athrun finally saw the catch, William does not give him time to digest the information, only ploughed ahead.

"This is my offer. Your involvement will only be to put up an act for the next few weeks, then…when it all ends, you will get to go anywhere else you choose. To Earth, to Orb…to avenge Albert Canberry."

Athrun took a deep breath, then whispered something that he dared not hope for in the last few months.

"I'll be…free?" He questioned in disbelief, even though it was sitting just his arm's reach away.

"Yes." William Jacobson said, he could swear that his heart had skipped a beat.

"Free to go, but not to return. If fortune smiles on you, I supposed you will be forgiven enough to be buried in PLANTs when you die. There are conditions, of course.

"What are they…?" Athrun asked gingerly, "I'll…I'll do anything…!" He declared, suddenly afraid that this precious gift will be taken away from him. "Please…"

The older man only smiled warmly.

"By the time you apply for the burial permits, I hope to see that by then you will be old and full of years; with a little more meat on your bones…" He clapped Athrun on the shoulders. "…and lots and lots of smile lines…"

Athrun felt a surge of gratitude for the elderly High Judge, for Yzak, for Albert… He did not realize that hot tears are running down his cheeks in rivulets.

_These people had released him and given him wings to fly… _

"And bring Max and Marlene to Disneyland…" Cagalli choked out. She was crying, but she was wearing a beam on her face, she wrung his hands. "Oh my God, Athrun this is…! I can't believe it…!"

And of course, Cagalli…

He embraced her anew.

"Till death do us part…" He whispered into her ear.

She nodded, and kissed him.

Ooo

Don't worry, this is not the last chapter, not yet. I may leave cliffhangers, but I don't suspend ppl in mid-air just for sadism sake no matter how tempted I am. Quite unlike the author of 'Bleach'...

Genuinely sad. A friend of mine just took her own life, she always had a streak of self-destructive behaviour in her, but I never thought she will go ahead and do it. She was only 27 years old.

Through counselling, long conversations, through psychiatrist sessions...I thought it made a difference. I once told her that I despise whoever takes their own life, and if she did it, I would not attend her funeral, nor shed a tear for her.

That was not a dare.

I ate my own words. I went, paid my respects, gave what I could to help finance the funeral. But I refused to cry, at least not in front of her grave. I'll do it back home.

Sorry about the emo sharing. Not many moments in life when one realizes how fragile life is.

R&R pls.

Ming


	32. Chapter 32: The other side of the coin

Chapter 32: The other side of the coin

"_Stay where you are, only you can protect them…" Athrun said gravely._

"_I know." Was Yzak's reply. _

_Throughout the last few weeks, Yzak Jule has never had a more stressful period in his life, nor had he found any other instruction harder to follow… _

_He saw the necessity of it, and watched as the series of events unfolded, he watched as these people, these kinsmen whom Athrun was trying to protect skin him alive. Yzak itched to jump in and help but was essentially tied down keeping those who served with Athrun in reins, no one was allowed to testify; the condemnation had to be complete. If not, the men all perish together. _

_Frank Wisely kept his part of the bargain, he worked to discharge and dismiss as many trials as he can by stating that their involvement was involuntary, minimal; whatever. Involving less parties essentially shortens the trials for the others. But also seals a mark of condemnation on Athrun's life, lesser and lesser could ever come to his defense simply because their testimony and witnessing will be deemed irrelevant... _

_Orb had brought their best doctors and support staff ranging from nurses to anesthetists to pharmacist and analytical officers. The gesture was a charity, and seemed enough to set the hearts of the people at ease and instill a sense of gratitude and allowed him to control the panic; temporarily. But Yzak knew their efforts will be in vain unless a miracle happened; and soon. If there is no way to treat the underlying condition, this natural medical team will simply serve to hold the hands of the dying… _

_Yzak could not have done anything for Athrun even if he wanted to, he was too tied up between solving the plague at hand, Ezaria Jule's and Shiho's upcoming military trial, Dearka's condition and mopping up the mess of the coup and the EAF. His mother had also effectively blackmailed him into helping Tad Elthman find witnesses as well, her sole reasoning was, 'He is your father.' _

_Yzak slept little, so often less than three hours a day and survived on caffeine and sheer willpower. Even when he slept, his dreams are peppered with distressing imaginations like EAF suddenly coming up with another military mobilization and blasting their home out of the sky, or his mother going crazy from the plague, and Yzak knew it will all be his fault that he could not contain this home-grown chaos in time. He felt chronically tired, like he was on the verge of falling over. And at times he wondered how long more can he go on like this… _

_He had thought that he will have time to settle down and properly mourn his wife, maybe hold a proper funeral for them both. He despised himself for having to shelve those plans, the living demanded his attention more urgently than the dead. Many times, he would jerk awake in the middle of the night from vivid nightmares, and felt worst and less rested than when he went to bed. At times he lamented why did he not just give up and disappear, it was unwise to be in leadership position, especially at this critical time. _

_Yzak relied heavily on the Supreme councilor's and on Lacus's resources, in Athrun's absence, Elthman had filled the seats with his own supporters, and they don't like Yzak. It did not matter what he suggested, they said 'No'. It frustrated Yzak to no end that nothing can be done, then Yulie Amarfi stepped in and did some regrouping; suspending the worst trouble makers and gave them a long, indefinite holiday, then grouping their to the neutral ones with brains as leaders and the haters as subordinates. _

_That made things easier, and Yzak was so grateful he could kiss uncle Yulie._

_Then one day, Violet sprouted utter rubbish. When asked about the solution to the plague, she declared something about killing off all the Natural medical staff and grinding their bones down, mix it in with a martini in a grand piano to make a panacea for the plague. Yzak felt his heart sink to his feet, he visited Dearka a few times in the hospital, and every time he prayed he will not die like that. _

_Incoherent, tied to the bed, asking for a gun one moment; for lemonade the next. _

_He subdued Violet the moment she stood up and started running to the exit and knocked her out with a quick blown to the back of her head. He drove her to the hospital, then he went home, accepted quarantine and a thousand body checkups. In those seven days, he was informed that Shiho had been discharged from trial as well. He was glad, he will have his right-hand woman back on the job again. Also, the official fashion designer for the council sent him his Chairman uniform, for some reason, he was repulsed. _

_It had nothing to do with the garment of course, it was white and purple and every Chairmen had one that was unique, it fitted him well. But he did not want to touch it; it seemed that the moment he touched it, he will be blatantly acknowledging that Athrun was doomed. Thereby he did not touch it or even look at it... _

_Then came the meeting with the other representatives, it was terrible. _

_Trade and commerce had come to a standstill ever since the state of emergency was declared over the PLANTs due to the plague and things were in a paralyzed state. Trade unions were angry and demanded compensation which simply will not happen, not at the expense of bankrupting the reserves. On the other hand, when Yzak met up with the other factions as PLANTs new and contingency leader; he could only swallow hard, bite his tongue and swallow his pride, trying not to shout, all at the same time. _

_It did not bode well at all, the other nations have stopped imports from PLANTs in terms of organic foods, which was PLANTs main source of income. And all diplomatic ties were cut the moment Tad Elthman was overthrown by said terrorist with the exception of Orb. Steven and uncle Yulie are doing their best but they can only be in so many places at once. _

_But even though no one mentioned it, the situation was grim, and they will not hesitate to destroy the PLANTs should there be any plague beyond the PLANTs. Yzak needed to convince them they shouldn't, but it was harder done than said. _

"_Give me time." He only asked. _

_Another funny thing happened, and that funny thing was a bit of a comic relief, but changed his life. _

_Lunamaria and Shinn popped by on day seven afternoon, he watched them outside the door wordlessly; a thousand possibilities flashing in his mind. _

"_What do you want?" He questioned curtly. _

_The pair stood two arm's length away from him. "First things first, Chairman Jule, any fever, disturbing thoughts or hallucinations in the last six days?" Shinn said jokingly._

"_No. And don't call me that." He replied, irritated, though he failed to mention that the disturbing thoughts are so much of a constant that one day without it will be a miracle._

"_Great, I can shake your hand safely then." Lunamaria said warmly, and did. Then she gestured to someone behind her, someone short. "Come, here, he won't bite, promise."_

_His curiosity built as a pair of purple eyes so uncannily similar to Kira peeked at him from behind Luna, then the boy stepped out into view; and Yzak felt the breath being constricted in his throat. _

_The boy had brown hair and purple eyes, and he was wearing t-shirt and jeans and looking every bit uncomfortable. Yzak understood the sentiment, when you put on a spacesuit and dwell in space for a while, so-called normal clothes and gravity and climate would seem like such a drag._

"_I thought they all died in the final battle…?" He whispered. _

"_This one…" Luna touched the little one's head, her tones were dark and gravely. "…was hiding in the bathroom, refusing to do as he was told. He survived, but I think the battle scared him, he had not talked since."_

_The clone's eyes glinted sharply, but did not say a word, it was terribly unnerving, the way he looked at everyone and anyone emotionlessly. Yzak was acutely aware that this child is less and more than human in many ways… _

_The child looked him in the eye, and approached him. Then slowly, wrapped his short arms around Yzak's leg. Yzak did not react for a few moments, he was terribly unused to this sort of affection but he did not know how to gently dislodge the child short of a kick._

_Lunamaria smiled sadly."He needs a home."_

_Yzak raised an eyebrow, choosing to ignore the clingy child first. "And so you thought to look for me…?"_

"_I'm actually doing myself and the home matron a favour, anyway it's a temporary arrangement unless you chose to make it permanent. See, on PLANTs registrar you are fully eligible to foster a child, you are financially stable and of noble character and preferably married."_

_Yzak's smile was bitter, "I'm a politician, how can you see any nobility in that?"_

_Luna only smiled, though hers was genuine, "You're not just a politician, you are Athrun's friend, our friend. And you are brave, brave enough to hold one of the most powerful jobs in the world at the most horribly unimaginable time."_

_Yzak could not find a response to that, he had been complimented by one whom he did not expect to hear praise from, his ears burnt with pride and shame._

"_Tsk." Was he only reply._

_Shinn added. "This little Kira needs someone to teach him to be a Coordinator, maybe it is fate that he survived to be, and I thought you might be interested in facilitating the future. To atone…for what the war of the adults had done to them."_

_With that. Yzak touched to boy on the head, pushing him away gently._

_The sentence had shaken him to his very core, and he knew that of all people, Shinn will understand the gravity of that statement..._

_Maybe Yzak really wanted to atone for the sins he had committed, maybe he felt a civics responsibility, maybe he had gone mad from boredom. But half an hour later he was showing the boy to his quarters and telling Shiho to help buy clothes and furniture befitting of a 9-year-old boy._

"_Any questions? If you need anything just ask, I won't be around most of the time, just tell the maids…Oh, by the way…what is your name?"_

_The boy gazed at him with a frown, displeased that he hadn't figured it out. Yzak was miffed, he had no time for guessing games._

"_I know they called you little Kira…but you are not Kira Yamato and you never will be. Either you choose a name or I will call you something."_

_With that the boy's features slackened and looked as if he did not know how to react, Yzak knew he had hit the nail on the head._

"_Oh…you don't quite have one?" He asked, a little pity for the child._

_The child shook his head miserably._

"_Daniel." Yzak said after a moment's consideration, then added, "Take it or leave it."_

_The child widened his eyes, there was sheer joy in them. He tottered up to Yzak and nodded eagerly, then asked with his eyes. _

_Yzak fumbled for an explanation. "It means…'The Lord is my judge', apparently the original owner of this name makes him impervious to lion bites too."_

_The child's mouth formed the shape of a 'Ooo', then nodded like a little kitten again._

"_Okay. Daniel it is then, my name is Yzak, Yzak Jule."_

_The child nodded, and gave a grin._

_Later on Yzak will find the child gazing intently at the gigantic teddy bear that sat in one corner of the guest room. The boy looked around guiltily, before throwing his arms around the said teddy, then sinking into the embrace of the soft cotton. He looked at ease for once. Yzak found himself repulsed by the sight, the bear had been his first gift to his late-wife… Later the maids will report to him that the child had fallen asleep right there and refused to move elsewhere. That room became Daniel's room instead._

_From that day forth, Yzak Jule officially became a parent, and it placed an extreme strain on his time, not only he had to grapple with diplomacy and the plague, he had to be called down to the principal's office for scuffles. He was tired and infuriated, but listened patiently to the man, who seemed to be talking very quickly almost to the point of being incoherent, and when Yzak got home, he confronted Daniel._

"_The principals says you beat up three other boys and almost bit off one boy's ear, what do you have to say for yourself?" Yzak demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose, it was the only way he can prevent himself from exploding. _

_Daniel was uninjured, but had a defiant scowl on his face. When Daniel kept silent, looking hurt, Yzak said, "You cannot be an idiot enough to not know that you are stronger and faster than them, but it isn't right to use those physical advantages this way, do you understand?"_

_Daniel looked down in shame, hot tears brimming from his eyes. then wrote on a piece of paper._

'_They called you names...' There was a smiley with a downturned smile. _

_Yzak could not speak for a moment, his heart was almost glad that the child would defend him, but it was not worth it. He was not worth his defense, he only sighed..._

"_They can call me whatever nasty things they want, but it does not justify beating them up. This is not how someone refined and civilized works…" He bonked the child on the head. _

"_You survived for a reason, and that is not to beat up other little boys. If you want to become someone great, you need to learn to control your temper."_

'_I can't believe I just said that.' Yzak thought to himself. _

_The child nodded grudgingly, then tears streamed down his face._

"_Don't cry." Yzak said, then added as Daniel showed no signs of obeying. _

"_Stop it and we can go Macdonald's for supper."_

_The effect was instantaneous, Daniel quickly washed his face and dressed. Within fifteen minutes they were munching nuggets and Daniel seemed happy again. Yzak was never an advocate of junk food, but somehow he thought the nuggets tasted nicer than usual. He had a feeling they will return again… _

_Ooo_

_A miracle did happen to the plague situation, in the form of a simple inter-satellite phone call. _

_Dr Sas called Yzak past midnight, when Daniel had eaten a tub of rum and raisin ice-cream and was curled across the couch, comfortably asleep. Yzak noticed that the child sucked his thumb and slept like a fetus, he sighed, knowing that he should find time to correct that. And was it him or is the child getting chubbier? _

"_Do you know you have to solution sitting under your nose all along?"_

"_Really." He replied unenthusiastically, he could trust nothing an enemy says. On a separate line he dialed Frank Wisely's number, wanting him to trace this line if he could. The line connected, but he did not address Frank Wisely, only spoke deliberately._

"_Dr Saspuri, I have not forgotten nor forgiven what you have done, and I have no time for perverts, murderers and traitors."_

"_Ah…a trace. That was fast." He said leisurely, and Yzak felt his heart speed up a little but did not reply. _

"_No matter." The man decided, "I offer information, for the sake of the greater good. It was so corny Yzak almost scoffed at him, but he listened patiently, the longer the other man talked, the better for Frank Wisely, and he urged the police commissioner silently. _

"_The way to end the plague is by finding the cure in the form of an antibody found in the survivors."_

_Yzak held his breath. _

"_There are no survivors." He said evenly, he was surprised at how steady his voice sounded._

"_Oh, there is…I was right, then I was wrong, but I was right all along. Your friend, he did not survive being shot right in the chest by random chance, the bullet-proof vest played a part, but his physiology was altered by the virus's after effects. And what should have been a fatal wound became a region of intense repair by the X21, he lived because there was instant regeneration…"_

_There it was…_

_Yzak was surprised as well when Athrun woke up so briefly after being unconscious for about 48 hours, and he was alright. He was alive and breathing and well…_

"_How do you know this?" Yzak asked, shaken by the implications._

"_That's not important." Dr Saspuri said dismissively. "I have given you exactly what you need, use it well."_

_The line went dead. _

_Daniel tugged at Yzak's sleeve in concern, startling him._

"_It's nothing…Just a phantom…" Yzak responded eventually, there was no other way to describe who Dr Saspuri was. _

"_But…maybe I…will need to kill someone…A…a friend…"_

_Daniel gazed at him curiously, and the moment he said it, it became concrete. He would, if only he made good use of the situation and information. First, he needed to ascertain if the information was true. He also needed to keep Athrun in isolation, just in case, and above all, he had to make Athrun say 'Yes' to it willingly, it was the only way to not violate the charters. Only then will the PLANTs be saved, if he had to, he will have to deceive Athrun…_

_After he approached William Jacobson for the research and received the report from Albert that indeed the blood assay turned out positive. He was faced with that terrible choice. _

_It was not hard to make, though he sincerely thought it would be. _

"_Proceed with the extraction." He said flatly._

"_Roger that, sir, the indemnity has been signed, if you want to know."_

"_Yes, thank you."_

_Yzak put down the phone, he felt sick to the stomach. He buried his face in his hands and kneaded hard, it provided no reprieve whatsoever from his frustrations._

"_If only…there is another way…" He whispered in anguish, mostly to himself, he gripped the fabric on his knees. _

_He was faced with the same choice that Athrun was faced with so many months ago, he had thought he will never be cornered enough to have to make the same choice. But here it was, to sacrifice one for the world, or the world for one, and both seemed so horribly wrong. He had been crazy and naïve enough to believe that the goals of saving the PLANTs and saving Athrun can be aligned, but here he was, he had condemned Athrun to a long and terrible death, or worse, life…_

_Daniel was carrying his homework and jogged up to him, and gazed at him intently, Yzak did not realize it, but there was a streak of tears running down his face. It was irrational and stupid, and it scared Daniel, for the child would not leave him alone even when he was told to leave. And when Yzak shouted at him, he clung all the more tightly to Yzak, and said the first words since he came._

"_Hurts…?" The boy looked him in the eye and inquired softly, clinging on to Yzak's waist. "It hurts…?"_

_Yzak was speechless, all along he had thought that he was the emotional support for the child, yet in his small, unknowing ways, Daniel understood his pain more than he did himself. It was no wonder the Daniel clung to him from day one, they were identified by loss…_

_The child's small hands held on to his shirt, crying into the fabric. "You have to watch your friend die too…?"_

_Yzak choked up, and found himself squatting down and wrapping about the child's tiny frame, finding comfort in having another source of warmth so close. He knew that Daniel had to watch all his friends; the rest of the clones…die._

"_It's different…Daniel…I…have to kill my friend." _

"_Why?" The boy questioned._

"_Because I…promised to protect something…"_

_Daniel looked at him incredulously, Yzak did not feel obligated to explain himself, pain was still thick in his chest and his throat, he will have to deal with it. He was no longer a child…_

_He took deep breaths and listed prime numbers till he felt it ease a little. He stopped at 21,577, and breathed out slowly. "Someday you will understand, child..." He whispered tiredly._

_From that day forth, Daniel would not talk to him or look him in the eye, the cold war went on, even after Yzak signed the official adoption papers. As for Yzak, he felt that he has an obligation to fulfil his paternal duties even if Daniel hated him. And continued to teach him schoolwork, brought him to doctors when he fell ill and offered safety and warmth in the form of a sleeping companion on nights where there were thunderstorms. But still, Daniel refused to interact with him, Yzak had told himself that he will not take it to heart, but somehow, he did. And because the child condemned him, he condemned himself…_

_Then came the assassination attempt._

_It came to him one night as he was in the living room, reading the daily progress reports Albert wrote to him, and Daniel was taking a shower. He remembered he was frowning, it was some sort of bad news. Suddenly there was screaming, and he looked up in alarm to see two of the maids nearby seize up and fall over, as if hit by an invisible force, it was then that Shiho and Calvin acted. They figuratively bounded up Yzak and hid in a broom cupboard till they felt it was safe enough to let him out, ignoring his protests and curses. _

_The killers were never found out, but they did leave a note threatening Yzak that if he did not step down from leadership, they will aim for Daniel next… _

_He passed Daniel some documents the next morning. _

"_If you hate me so much, you can leave. I will provide all the resources you need, school fees, living expenses…what not. You're free to go and do whatever you want...Here is some information of apartments near your school. Look through them, choose one by tonight."_

"_Yzak…I don't hate you!" Daniel looked hurt and torn as he as he took over the papers. "…Do you hate me?" The boy's lips were quivering as he asked tentatively._

"_Not really, but I can't say I like you either." He lied with nonchalance, but the look on Daniel's face almost broke his heart. They had bonded more closely than he cared to admit, but he needed to get Daniel away, and was merely using the cold war as an excuse. They child will forgive him someday...probably._

"_Kay…I'll leave, and I will never come back."_

_That was one week before the trial restarted. _

_On that same day, the boy left, maybe for good. __ was the one in charged of this case. _

Ooo

Yzak Jule knew something was wrong when a silent, stabbing pain originated from the side of his body whenever he moved. It started when the bullet slammed into his kidney and worsened as he administered CPR, he bit his lip and fought not to show the pain for two reasons. First, obviously Albert is quite dead, then Athrun was right beside him and was panicking.

Yzak knew that Athrun was on the verge of mental meltdown the moment he saw him, those wide eyes filled with grief and panic, his frame thinner than he was just a few days ago. He knew that if Athrun could see that he was possibly injured, it might become the last straw that broke the camel's back, so he was determined to reveal nothing.

_In truth, Yzak was disturbed and in a sense, disgusted by Athrun's appearance. But that was the point, William Jacobson needed the world to see Zala for what he had now become, even if it might endanger Athrun's life. Both ways he was likely to be sentenced to death, so no harm trying. Yet, how Yzak had fought the urge to punch him and demand that he pulled himself together, he was the only one that Yzak had ever considered a worthy rival, for heaven's sake…_

Then Albert coughed, and blood spluttered onto Yzak's face and neck, he abandoned all pretense of dissociation and shouted at Albert quite unnecessarily. "Hey! Canberry…? Talk to me!"

Albert opened his eyes in a weak, dreamy manner._ Yzak swallowed grimly, those eyes were glazed over and unseeing, the pupils were dilated unevenly, and Yzak felt a chill down his spine, chances are there had been brain damage… _

"Hey…" Athrun breathed, he walked on his knees to Albert's side and clung on to their colleague's hand tightly.

"We'll get help…you'll be alright." Athrun promised guiltily, though Yzak could see at once it was an empty promise, he said nothing. He understood that Athrun was only trying to help ease Albert's passage from life to death…something Yzak knew he had no talent in when he watched Athrun on the verge of death those months ago.

Albert gave a half-smile that was full of general mischief and that the world consisted of clouds and unicorns, his eyes never left Yzak's face.

"It's you…" He muttered in a sort of a disappointed way at Yzak, then explained abashedly.

"I dreamt that Cagalli kissed me..."

_Yzak's first internal response was, 'Go to hell.' But he bit his tongue and did not say it aloud as it was simply not so nice to tell that to his friend who is about to die...He was not generally superstitious, but well, better safe than sorry. He rolled his eyes still at the accusation that he was not Yula Athha that Albert wanted to be kissed by, and at the fact that Albert haboured such fantasies for Athrun's wife._

Athrun said nothing, perhaps he knew, but Yzak chided. "Too bad, you flirt. Yula Athha is taken."

"Why did you do that…? Why did you protect me…?" Athrun demanded brokenly.

Yzak stood up and a bunch of paramedics laid a stretcher and medical equipment down beside Albert. They were shouting something distasteful about a 'defibrillator' and 'gone-case', Yzak wanted to snap at them to make them shut up.

"I don't know…" Albert rasped feebly, and coughed blood. "But I'm glad you're okay…"

"No…no…!" Athrun whimpered, he wrung Albert's hand.

_Albert's dying was killing him, everything was… _

"I'm just…" Albert closed his eyes, and blinked blearily, like a child fighting sleep. "A little…tired…"

"Don't sleep!" Athrun cried, pleading with his friend one last time.

"No problem…" Albert smiled again, it was peaceful.

Then just like that, he stopped moving.

Yzak felt a pang of regret, knowing then it was unlikely Albert will survive.

"NO…!" Athrun shouted, shaking Albert. Yzak ordered the guards, "Take him away! Now!" The guards acted, taking both of Athrun's arms and dragging him away, but somehow he was capable of more strength than he looked like he was able, he shook the two men off and fought his way back to Albert's side.

Kira appeared from behind, pushing past others to get to Athrun, he placed his hands on Athrun's shoulders to restrain him. Whispering in urgent tones, "Athrun, calm down, it's okay! They are going to help Albert! They will try their best to save him…! You have to let go!"

"No….No…!" Athrun cried out, he was crazed and blind with panic, it was lessening Albert's chances of survival. Yzak would have done it himself if he was not hurting so much, in his frustration he ordered Kira.

"Kira! You have to take him away, hit him if you have to!"

Kira pursed his lips, then nodded once. He used his body as a straitjacket, wrapping up Athrun's flailing arms in his last-ditch effort to restraint him and berated.

"Calm down, stop it!"

"Go away!" Athrun pushed against him, struggling anew. Then suddenly, he started to cough, Athrun covered one hand over his mouth and clutched at his sternum bodily. It was apparent that he was in genuine pain.

"'Thrun…?!" Kira gasped. The coughing persisted till speckles of red appeared on Athrun's hand and face, then a mouthful or two, it was alarming. But Kira seemed to know what was happening, so he only patted Athrun on the back, speaking in soft tones. Then quite suddenly Athrun slumped lifelessly against Kira, spent.

Kira caught him and was as gentle as possible when he half-carried him onto the wheelchair with two of the paramedics helping him. Lacus Clyne came as well, a string of very noisy Haros followed in her wake, forming a protective perimeter around the retreating party.

_It was then inspiration hit him, he could have a way to save Athrun after all. He got so excited by the potential of the preposterous plan hatching in his brain that all was forgotten at the moment, including the pain. And yes, the Haro…Marlene's Haro!_

A few phone calls is all it takes to start the ball rolling, Athrun, fortunately, still has good allies, Yzak just needed to unite them and use them. He called Shiho, she picked up almost immediately, taking deep breaths before she was calm enough not to shout, "Commander?! Are you alright?"

He frowned, he heard the sound of car engines when they are supposed to be safe in an office, "I'm fine." He lied, winching at the biting sensation at his waist, "Where is Yula Athha? Why are you not in Dearka's office?"

"Right beside me." Shiho sighed with relief, "I'm sorry I disobeyed orders…we saw the assassination attempt and she threatened to do something stupid if I don't bring her along?" At this point he could hear Cagalli demanding to know who was on the line. Shiho covered the receiver to muffle the sound as she snapped curtly at her not to interrupt, and said something like 'It's my boss!' much to Yzak's amusement. He would have laughed if the situation had not been so dire.

"Shiho." He called impatiently.

"Yes?" She breathed.

"I have an important assignment for you and I need you to follow the instruction to the letter. It may make the difference between life and death."

I'm listening." She said quietly.

"Get Dearka and Spencer to meet up with Yula Athha at Glenhawk's, find Yamato, he is escorting Zala back to the hospital. He's fine, just a bit unstable. Guard Yula Athha with their lives."

"Noted." Yzak appreciated it. It was Shiho's talent to comprehend and recall exactly a string of ambiguous instructions.

"After that, get Steven to arrange an emergency meeting with the full Council. 1400 central meeting room."

"Roger."

"Obtain every single CCTV records, compile the court transcripts, get the name list of people hurt, unhurt, killed, whatever, whoever potentially involved in the assassination."

"Yes sir."

"That's all, do not fail me." It was a prayer more than an instruction.

"What about you? Don't go anywhere unguarded, please. Where's the team?"

_Yzak swallowed guiltily, he figuratively hogtied the four of them to the observation room downstairs by trapping them inside. They tried to stop him and restraint him when he ran the moment the first shot was fired, he was forced to hit one of the them and pushed him against the other three to block the way, then locked the door with his security pass; which of course overrides the authority of every other in that building. It was a matter of time before they got out, but he could trust them not to tattletale…right?_

He called Frank Wisely on the way back down to the room, knowing that he will not be able to leave the room once he gets back in, it was a perfect alibi. It would appear as if he did nothing while he was sadly trapped within the Supreme court while the investigations on the would-be assassin went on. But he would be directing everything from there.

The line connected, "Good morning Chairman Jule." The man sounded like he was running.

"Thank you for the bullet-proof vest…" Yzak said sincerely, "I'm alive."

"You're welcome, Chairman."

Shiho had wrestled with Yzak that morning to make him put it on if he were to leave the house with minimum protection. He had argued that four bodyguards are not what he will call minimum protection, but Shiho prevailed.

"Now please tell me your business…" Then in an afterthought he asked, "Will it be legal?"

"It is completely legal, Commissioner." Assured Yzak, wrinkling his nose in distaste, this man can smell a rat a mile away. "I need documents, my secretary will be contacting you soon. Please give her everything she needs."

"Expect nothing less. What more favors other than that?"

Yzak thought for a moment, wondering how to word his requests and how much he could tell Frank Wisely.

Frank Wisely waited, then said, "…I'm sure you did not call me for a nice dinner, please speak your mind. As you probably know first hand, I have a security lapse to investigate and an assassin I would like to interrogate personally."

"What do you know about keeping someone alive?" Yzak found himself asking, threading carefully.

Frank Wisely inhaled deeply, and finally answered with a, "Plenty, I know plenty of ways and a few able hands. Enough to keep a dying man alive, whether the person wills it or not…"

"There is someone I need kept alive, at least for the next 24 hours."

"That's quite a margin to suffer." The commissioner commented offhandedly, "But consider it done, who is it that you wish to keep from death?"

Yzak swallowed.

"…Albert Canberry."

The other man drew breath sharply, the footsteps stopped.

"…This just became illegal." He said slowly.

"Please, it is important!" Yzak retaliated, "Or he would have died in vain…"

"This is blackmail. Albert is my nephew…I can't possibly…!" The elderly gentlemen sighed, registering as a rush of static.

"Maybe…" Yzak considered, "But it is also one final chance for him to finish what he set out to do, he sacrificed himself saving Athrun and that cannot be undone. Why not give him closure and let him go with no regrets?"

Frank Wisely took a deep breath, clearly shaken, the police commissioner's front dissolved entirely as he questioned in distraught. "How…how is he?"

"Still breathing when the paramedics came, but…I think it was a fatal wound, the opening was quite large, bleeding will kill him if the wound did not."

"We shall see." The man said flatly, "Saving him will be priority."

"Of course. And I need Giorados Winhill, can you get him to contact me ASAP please?"

"Alright…"

"I have one piece of evidence that will be in favour of Athrun Zala and might just overhaul the case."

The police commissioner was not convinced, he had done his job, leaving no rock unturned.

"Pray tell." He asked sarcastically.

"When Athrun was captured, there was a rubber band with a cuboid object around his wrist. It was confiscated as evidence and never returned?" Yzak had examined the case himself.

"Yes…I believe so. What of it…?"

"There is a Haro in there…in the cuboid object. Haro is an electronic toy that Athrun made many years ago, this one is a pico version of the original, but has followed Marlene Zala around these few months. Do you think…you can have a look at its memory chip? I'll get Yamato to help you with the technicality aspect."

"Marlene Zala's? With a memory chip? Yes…! I would think so…" The man breathed, Yzak could sense his excitement. "Thank you."

The line was cut.

Yzak knocked as he pocketed his phone, then gingerly palmed the recognition panel, breathing in deeply. It was time to face the wrath of Shiho's supervisor, his head of guard.

The door slipped open, and he almost started as he came face to face with a tall, middle-aged man. Calvin Notov's left eye was twitching with barely concealed anger, making the lines on his face more apparent.

"I'm back." Yzak said daringly, dodging past his body guard to face the other three.

"Stop there." Calvin said coldly.

Yzak froze, he knew it was better to comply than to argue, for heaven's sake he has a job to do.

Calvin's rough hands passed over a moist handkerchief, Yzak gaped openly, he wondered if the fabric belonged to his manlier-than-thou head of guard, who did not give him a chance to ponder. "Wipe your face, you're scaring the others."

He accepted the ridiculously flower-patterned hanky and wiped the dried blood off his face and hands, nothing can help for the blood on his collar and breast pocket. Rough hands assessed his state of physical well-being, patting him down to ensure there were no injuries, Yzak almost screamed as those hands seemed to hammer down on the tender areas on his side, it took some knuckle-gnawing to contain the sound.

"That hurt." Calvin observed. "You're wounded."

"It's not as bad as just now. I'm sure it will go away." Yzak said dismissively.

"Blunt trauma injury can be serious." Calvin pressed, his rage seething. "I would like to request that you present at a tertiary care institution for further assessment…"

Yzak whipped around to his head-of-guard, "There is something very important I must do, in fact, two things. Everything else can wait." He added on when Calvin looked like he wanted to protest. "It's not all about me, PLANTs cannot afford to fall apart again because of this…or because of me."

Calvin's left eye was twitching again, and for a moment Yzak was worried that his head-of-guard may just decide to incapacitate him, and he will wake up after several hours with Athrun doomed and Albert dead.

"Three hours." Yzak said, offering it for barter.

"As you wish, Chairman." He bowed slightly, Yzak heaved an internal sigh of relief.

"But only for a brief observation period of three hours, if I judge that there is any danger, I shall insist that you get a physician."

"Deal." Yzak nodded before the other man could change his mind. Yzak swept past him to take a seat and pulled out his phone's virtual keyboard.

_Three hours will not be sufficient, he had to act fast, and will buy time if he must. In any case, they will be detained for investigation, and these sort of things might take up to 12 hours counting from the time of the incident. If it doesn't, he just has to ask._

The phone rang, signifying a call from one of Frank Wisely's associates.

"Hello?"

"Chairman Jule, good afternoon, this is Colonel Aldo, the man you want is on the line."

There were sounds that suggested the phone was being passed from hand-to-hand.

"Chairman Jule...a pleasure." It was Giorados Winhill's voice, but had lost most of its cockiness since he was placed under house arrest.

"Are you alone?" Yzak asked.

"Yes. If being watched by six men while I toilet can be considered alone."

Yzak ignored the sarcasm and the nerve. "Be careful what you say then, this needs to be kept low profile."

"I'll try."

"Dr Giorados. I want you to write a medical report on behalf of Albert, I'll email you regarding the details I need in there."

There was a pause.

"You're asking me to write a report that is supposed to exist...?"

"Yes. I am." Yzak confirmed, at least this guy is smart.

"Interesting. And why would I do that?"

"Are you kept updated about what is happening in the outside world?"

A bitter laugh.

"Have you been to jail before?" Dr G asked in return.

Yzak ignored the rhetorical question."There was a court hearing today and there was an assassin, Albert bit a bullet for Athrun."

There was an intake of breath, and a long, pregnant pause. Yzak hammered down the notion mercilessly. "Albert's still alive, but barely. He sacrificed himself to save Athrun, and I think you owe both of them a little something. I took the liberty of assuming you don't like owing favours. "

"I don't." G confirmed, his voice shaking. "Tell me how I can possibly return it. It involves finding some loopholes in the legislation?"

"Some." Yzak confirmed. "Maybe some hacking will help, too."

"You have my full cooperation. Tell me what to do."

Ooo

Giorados sat beside Albert for possibly the very the last time, wondering if everyone looks younger when they are asleep.

He clutched the electronic board, willing himself to remain still and not run.

His friend's body was utterly broken, and connected with more tubes to machines than he could count. Giorados was used to the sight of mutilated, failing human bodies; of metal and plastic trying to replace the function of flesh and blood. But to see his friend in such a sorry state was entirely different, it almost more than he could bear...

Albert stirred, and _Giorados half prayed he would not wake. If he did, this nightmare will end swiftly, and there will be release. If he does not, there will still be release._

Albert opened his eyes, and did not move for the next few minutes, Giorados took the time to send a quick message.

"Albert…" Giorados called next, like he does when soothing an injured and disoriented person. "We are at Glenhawk's, you were shot, remember?"

Albert gaze at him without interest, then his fingers gingerly traced the thick tubes drawing blood from the side of his neck.

"ECMO…" he whispered in horror, understanding the implications of utilizing the life-support technology, and he gasped, quite unable to breathe. "What have you done…?" He croaked in distraught, in his eyes there was the unbelief of betrayal.

"I would not have let them do this to you unless there is a cause of great enough importance." G retorted, swallowing the bile that had risen to his throat.

"Cause…?" Albert questioned weakly, a streak of tears made the way down his face, tears of regret. He looked like he would have wrung Giorados's neck if he could.

"You should…know better…! We made an oath to never allow suffering...Damn you…! There is a difference…between prolonging life and elongating death. Or have you… forgotten that some people… have consciences unlike you…?" He heaved a few breaths to no avail when he finished the tirade, whimpering and trying to breathe and could not. His physiology were so severely damaged that the surgeons needed to cut out his stomach and the lower lobes of his lungs, his spinal cord was also severed. Albert's efforts were piteous to watch, and Giorados felt his eyes get hotter and hotter till he had to look away.

"I'm here to help you finish your work..." Giorados forged ahead, knowing that waking up will eventually kill Albert. "I need your signature. Four pages, then you can curse me all you like." He pressed the electronic pad into Albert's hands.

"Signature for what…?" Albert questioned weakly, "…my estate?"

"I may be down and out and incarcerated but not desperate enough to covert yours, yet." Giorados joked, in desperate attempts to make his hands shake less. "One is your will, it was drafted by Uncle Wisely. Stating that whatever you have will be willed to your sister and mother, half-half…"

Albert nodded in appreciation, tears pooling anew...

_Albert father had died when Albert was about 15 years old due to an accident which the family somehow seems to think was Albert's fault; just because he was the one who wanted to go diving, but who could predict the appearance of that stingray? It was Frank Wisely who stepped into his life as a surrogate father. He helped the depressed widow out of her sorrow and brought the family back together. Albert's sister is a high flyer and a snob, and Albert's mother had only had eyes for her ever since, Albert loved them with all his being and sought forgiveness repeatedly, but they did not seem ready for reconciliation after so long... _

Albert did not ask if they were coming, but Giorados sensed him quiet sorrow. He believed no one will come for him, Giorados said nothing because he was not sure if it were otherwise…

Albert picked up the electronic pen with extreme effort, and Giorados steadied his hand by holding it in both of his. Albert skin was cold and mottled, a side effect of the medicines needed to maintain his blood pressure. If it had been two minutes later or if Yzak Jule had not been there, Albert would have been found dead.

_Giorados resisted the urge to break into tears. The moment was so nostalgic, it felt as if they were boys once again; taking their first foolish leapt into the world of the occult by meddling with an Ouija board when they were in middle school…but now…his friend was leaving him… _

"The other is a medical document, signing it will eventually and hopefully release Athrun Zala. It is written in your capacity as the Project X21's lead doctor and chief executor."

Albert actually smiled, and rasped painfully. "When have I…ever authored such a document…?"

"When Yzak Jule called me this morning." Giorados replied truthfully, smiling back as best as he could, _Albert was fading fast. _

"Come on, three more, and write your medical registration number for authentication purposes. Write it above mine..."

"I…can't see…" Albert admitted after a while, Giorados bit his lip. It was then he felt that it was safe enough to cry and not have Albert laugh at him.

_It was an unspoken rule between them, real men don't cry._

But he did, tears running down his face as he guided Albert's hand once more. "Here…and here."

"Athrun's…alright…?" Albert asked gingerly as the pen travelled laboriously across the surface for the first signature.

"He's alive. He refused to leave your side when you were injured." Giorados replied.

The second was done, now the final.

"He's too hard…on himself…" Albert whispered, he could barely move his hands.

And just like that, the deed is done, Giorados breathed out, and felt such immense relief as he no longer had to force Albert to remain alive for any reason at all.

"Can I sleep now…?" Albert whispered, almost begged, curling into himself. The discomfort was getting too terrible to bear.

"Yes, you can, sleep my friend." Giorados bit his lip, helping Albert to get into a more comfortable position and tucked the blanket in around him.

"Hey, G-string…" Albert had addressed him by his pet-name, which is pretty much what everyone calls him when they were in medical school.

"Yeah?" Giorados replied, he placed a hand on Albert's shoulder, letting him know he was beside as he could no longer see.

"Don't cry…Thank you…for…all these years…I had fun."

"We were a riot, all right." Giorados agreed, though he would not elaborate, he was called G-string for a reason.

"…Go sign an AMD, or you'll end up… like me..." He swallowed painfully.

"Already did, moron."

"Do you think…" Albert breathed, his voice barely audible now. "There's such a thing as reincarnation?"

"No…I don't think so, haven't we established that it is entirely unscientific…?" He intoned, then asked, "Why?"

"If I had the chance…I will study less…and try falling in love…" Albert said with a small smile on his face. "…And…also…eat more stingrays." He added in an afterthought of jest.

G cried harder, but forced out a laugh. "…With lots and lots of sambal sauce."

"Help me thank Yzak…he's…prickly…but a good guy…"

"And he kissed you." Giorados teased.

"Meh…and…there's just…" Albert looked as if he wanted to say something else.

The door opened, and Cagalli stood outside the door, panting. "I'm here."

"Come in." Giorados beckoned, she approached quickly. "Albert." She called urgently, but the panic in her eyes betrayed what she truly felt.

"Ca…ga…lli…?"

She seemed to light up the room with her presence. "Hey, yep it's me…I asked Giorados to text me once you woke up." She touched him on the hand gently. "Thank you…thank you for saving Athrun…! Thank you so much…"

"Wel…come…" His smile was genuine, he was glad to have her near. He opened his eyes by a millimeter or two. "Cagalli…you're…very special…"

"Oh?" She gushed in surprise.

"I…loved you…when I first met you…" he confessed.

She bit her lip, and forced a smile. "I like you loads too, Albert, just not in the way you like me…." There was a slight blush on her cheeks. "I'm flattered, but there is also someone else out there, someone special for you, and you need to find her."

"Alright…I will…" Albert agreed weakly. "Goodnight….."

"Goodnight, Albert." She landed a soft kiss on his temple, like a mother tucking in a sick child. That made him smile.

"…Night…And don't cry…"

Ooo

The email came through from Giorados.

{Albert is dead, attached are the requested documents signed by both Albert and I.

Please do not make me do this again. Ever.

Regards, Giorados Winhill}

Yzak sighed heavily. He was utterly grateful, and he forwarded it in secure form to William Jacobson. It was done, and there was only one last thing to do, then it will be over. He guessed that his phone lines were tapped, and he counted on it.

He knew he should not be alone, but he deliberately arranged it to be so. So he left his phone where he knew Shiho could find it.

He stumbled into the meeting room, his footsteps strangely light and unsteady. It was 1332, half an hour early. He convinced his guards that he needed to go to the bathroom; so he even managed to shake Shiho off. The lights were dimmed, and he whispered, knowing that there will be devices picking up voices, no matter how soft.

"I know there's an ambush. I'm here where you want me. Don't hurt any of the other Supreme Councilors…" In an afterthought, he added, more as a plea than a demand.

"…Don't hurt Daniel…"

For the first two minutes, nothing happened, then there was a shifting at the far side of the room. They were good, for one dark figure appeared near him the next instant, her face was hooded, he only guessed her gender from those scarlet tinged lips. Most huntsmen nowadays are really women, the world just haven't invented a proper term for them yet.

"I assume you are ready to go with us, Mr Jule?"

"I assumed you would kill me on sight." Yzak answered frankly, he was genuinely surprised, but by virtue of being in pain, his body displayed no such emotion, only slumped against the wall tiredly like a broken puppet.

He did have time to prepare, though. He left a note of apology to Shiho and Daniel. The Chairmanship will be transferred with immediate effect to Yulie Amarfi in the event of his death, and Lacus Clyne officiated as Supreme Councilor, if she chooses so. Not that these people ought to know, so long as he was not sure whether they wanted 'Yzak Jule' or 'PLANT's acting Chairman', he will say nothing. He even managed to inform Yulie Amarfi anf Lacus without arousing much suspicion from either though both gave a thoughtful 'Hmm'. Calvin might blame himself to forever and a day, but Yzak felt that whatever else was secondary and will become collateral damage, just as he would be…

"We are no murderers, just proficient deliverymen who will utilize more extreme means for the intended cargo."

"Whatever…" He answered, he was just so, so tired…And he closed his eyes.

Ooo

This is like the interim chapter, and the next one will be the LAST. Absolutely sumpah with chop this time.

I have said it so many times...haven't I?

Well, Enjoy! R& R pls!

Yours

Ming


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